Extremists, Big Tech, and media outlets are profiting by spreading division based on lies, even as they erode our democracy and make it easier for adversaries like China and Russia to exploit us. But I have a specific plan to hold these actors accountable:
- Update regulations to break down information bubbles and propaganda networks to protect the public’s right to be informed
- Require more transparency in advertising, so that we know whether what we’re consuming online was written by a human or a Russian bot.
- Create accountability for harmful lies and conspiracy theories amplified by Big Tech.
Just like any other business, tech companies should not have blanket immunity when their own software amplifies violence, lies, threats, and foreign disinformation that cause economic and physical harm to the American people. We should also reform and update regulations in order to break down information bubbles and propaganda so that actual facts – instead of brainwashing – reach the public. That means requiring big tech, cable news, and talk radio to provide transparency in advertising, and to create a framework – a modern fairness doctrine – that will incentivize the presentation of multiple views on issues of public importance.
America’s enemies seek to divide us. After January 6, Russia, Iran, and China reportedly tried to capitalize on American divisions by exploiting U.S. social media platforms and spreading hate. By updating our disclosure rules and strengthening our cyber defenses against foreign adversaries that try to exploit our own technology, we can strengthen our democracy. America must also require political candidates to report any offers of foreign government assistance to the FBI, and Congress should criminalize offers of mutual aid between presidential campaigns and foreign governments.
