U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono, along with Senators Peter Welch, Amy Klobuchar, Jeff Merkley, and Ben Ray Luján, has reintroduced the Digital Integrity in Democracy Act. This legislation is designed to increase accountability for social media platforms that knowingly host false information related to election administration.
The bill seeks to enhance voting rights protections by creating a narrow exception from existing legal immunity for social media platforms that intentionally or knowingly spread election-related misinformation.
Senator Hirono emphasized the importance of this initiative: “Disinformation about elections on social media platforms is a threat to our democracy and to the right of all Americans to make their voices heard in our elections,” she stated. She expressed her support for the legislation introduced alongside Senator Welch and other colleagues aimed at holding social media companies accountable for disinformation shared on their platforms.
The proposed act intends to remove liability shields for objectively false election administration content, thereby ensuring voters are not misled into losing their right to vote.
The Digital Integrity in Democracy Act has received endorsements from organizations such as Common Cause and Stand Up America.
