Abigail Spanberger voted with a majority of the House of Representatives to pass legislation that would strengthen efforts to combat and prevent foreign interference in U.S. elections.
The legislation includes her amendment to increase transparency regarding online political advertisements purchased by foreign actors.
According to a new report published by the University of Oxford, the number of countries engaged in disinformation campaigns more than doubled to 70 in the last two years. Additionally, at least seven countries have deployed disinformation on social media to influence a foreign country. These numbers are expected to grow as the United States prepares for the 2020 Presidential election.
By strengthening disclosure requirements on online political advertising, Spanberger’s amendment to the Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act would give the American people additional tools to understand these foreign influence campaigns. Specifically, her legislation would require online platforms to include information about whether a buyer is acting as the agent of a foreign government or foreign political party. Additionally, her amendment would require the identity of these foreign entities to be publicly disclosed.
Spanberger’s amendment is endorsed by End Citizens United.
“From her first day in office and throughout her career, Rep. Spanberger has defended the integrity of our democracy and security of our country,” said Tiffany Muller, President of End Citizens United. “Her amendment to the SHIELD Act will require more accountability of online platforms by requiring them to record whether political ads are being purchased on the orders of foreign agents.”
On the floor of the U.S. House, Spanberger spoke in support of her amendment to improve the transparency of foreign-based online political advertisements.
Click here to watch a full video of Spanberger’s speech.
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