Maryland General Assembly Passes Bill To Regulate Digital Political Advertisements

The Maryland General Assembly passed a bill on Thursday, April 5 aimed to regulate political advertisements displayed on major social media platforms such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter.

The legislation would create an unprecedented sense of transparency when it comes to political advertisements on the internet. Given that the bill is state sponsored, the requirements would apply only to local and state political ads. The bill would require that technology corporations disclose who paid for the advertisements, whom they aim to benefit, and how much money was spent on the advertisement themselves. The proposed mandates would be similar to how a television station is required to disclose advertisements.

Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, have taken plenty of flack over the past months for their handling of Russian meddling in the 2016 general election, relating to the foreign country’s use of social media to influence elections. Facebook was originally opposed to regulation of the company’s inner workings but have since offered to cooperate with proposed legislation. Will Castleberry, Facebook VP for state policy, has said that the company has helped draft the legislation in Maryland and “looks forward to implementing” it.

The Maryland state legislatures hope their bill will be a model to follow for other states and eventually, the federal government. Maryland State Sen. Craig Zucker, has said, “this will transform how online ads are purchased. We’re going to bring transparency to websites make sure we prevent foreign interference in our elections.” This issue is relatively new, with prominence coming to it since the 2016 presidential election. In the years from 2012 to 2016, spending on political digital ads has increased by 789 percent, the trade magazine AdAge has measured.

In addition to regulation and disclosure requirements, the legislation would give the Maryland government the authority to seek subpoenas to investigate the use of social media advertisements within interest groups and campaigns.

Other states in the U.S., including California, Connecticut and New York, are also considering taking measures to combat election interference. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo stated to reporters, “you have a total lack of regulation of social media space.”

While the bill has passed through the General Assembly in Maryland, it is up to Governor Hogan to decide whether or not to sign the bill. A spokeswoman for the governor has said, “The governor has always advocated for greater transparency in the political process, and he is supportive of these types of efforts.”