Bill targets social media ads

In proposing Assembly Bill 2188, Mullin is hoping more stringent requirements for social media companies displaying political ads, such as Facebook and Twitter, will offer users clarity as to who is paying for the messages they encounter on their platforms.

“As somebody who’s a practitioner in politics, I know that lots of political money is moving into social media,” said Mullin, who is speaker pro tem of the California Assembly. “I think it’s pretty apparent given what occurred in the 2016 presidential cycle and the involvement of Russia in social media … we need to do much more on the social media side in terms of disclosing who the actual funders are.”

The bill would require social media platforms to include a link labeled “Who funded this ad?” next to text indicating the content is promoted or sponsored and profile pages for committees to display their top three contributors in the cover photo, which would be easily viewable once viewers click on the “Who funded this ad?” link.

Mullin is also looking to rules mandating social media companies maintain a publicly available database of the political ads that committees pay for and make information about the ads committees pay for easily visible on their profile pages. It would make voters more aware of who is attempting to influence them through social media channels, which he said are increasingly a source of news and other political information for many.

“This is the next logical step in bringing disclosure to political money,” he said. “This will really get at who the true funders are, the individuals behind and the organizations behind the dollars that you see flowing [into campaigns].”

It’s not the first time Mullin has taken aim at political disclosure — just last year, he authored and passed the California Disclose Act, or Assembly Bill 249, which requires donors to disclose their real names when buying ads for ballot measures or making independent expenditures for candidates. AB 249 also requires electronic media advertisements to include a link to a website disclosing the top three contributors to the ad.

Noting any bill proposing changes to election practices could face some opposition, Mullin said he is hopeful social media giants like Facebook and Twitter join the conversation to shape requirements that will directly affect them. Mullin is expecting a grassroots effort led by the nonprofit the California Clean Money Campaign to galvanize support for the measure, adding San Mateo County is a natural starting point for the conversation as home to Menlo Park-based Facebook and neighbors with San Francisco-based Twitter.

“They ought to be working with us as partners to have a really robust disclosure model here in California that we believe can be replicated in the other states in the country,” he said.

Though Mullin acknowledged everyone involved in crafting the bill as it receives feedback and moves through the state Assembly and Senate will be entering new territory, he said the bill they end up with could serve as a model for other states and even Congress, all grappling with the issue.

“We are going to take action on our own and hopefully set a model for the other states in this country,” he said.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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