S. 4977 · 118th Congress
Digital Integrity in Democracy Act
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 118th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
D
WelchSponsor5 cosponsors · 5 D
5 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill requires large social media platforms to promptly remove from their sites false information about election logistics and voter eligibility.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Aug 1, 2024
Digital Integrity in Democracy Act
This bill requires large social media platforms to promptly remove from their sites false information about election logistics and voter eligibility.
Specifically, platforms notified of potential false election information must investigate the veracity of the flagged information and, if it is false, remove it. Covered information includes false information about the time and place of, or voter eligibility for, an election. Platforms must generally remove false information within 48 hours of receipt of notification of its existence. If notification is received on the day of an election, including during an early or absentee voting period, the information must be removed within 24 hours.
The Department of Justice may bring a civil suit against a social media platform that violates the timely removal requirement. States may bring suit against a platform if the false information at issue related to an election in the state, and candidates may bring suit against a platform if the candidate was aggrieved by the false information. Such suits may seek money damages and injunctive relief.
The bill also specifies that Section 230 protection does not apply to false election information that is knowingly hosted on a social media platform. (Section 230 generally precludes providers and users of an interactive computer service from being held legally responsible under federal law for content provided by a third party.) However, platforms that comply with the timely removal requirements with respect to false election information retain Section 230 protection.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Digital Integrity in Democracy Act
Latest action (Aug 1, 2024): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Aug 1, 2024
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.