Bipartisan group introduces bill to make influencers register under FARA
The bill would require social media personalities to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act when receiving payments from foreign governments for their work
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Some of the most popular social media apps by number of monthly active users, including Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, WeChat, Telegram, Messenger, and Snapchat, are seen on an iPhone.
A bipartisan group of House members introduced legislation on Monday that would require influencers to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act when receiving payments from foreign governments for their work.
The Foreign Propaganda Disclosure Act comes amid suspicion and scrutiny, particularly among different online factions of the conservative movement, about foreign governments driving social media conversation, including accusations of Qatari, Turkish, Ukrainian and Israeli influence.
The bill is sponsored by Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL).
It would explicitly add social media influencers to existing FARA registration requirements.
“There is a big difference between having an organic opinion and secretly acting on behalf of foreign interests to push propaganda to Americans,” Luna said in a statement. “Foreign adversaries have been actively using disinformation and psychological operations to divide America, erode our national security, and undermine U.S. foreign policy. Americans deserve to know when the voices shaping what they see online are working on behalf of foreign interests.”
She added that, “Americans should be able to know when the people shaping conversations online are acting on behalf of foreign interests.”
Gonzalez emphasized the need to update existing regulations to keep up with the changing nature of the internet.
“Federal law must adapt to an ever-changing digital media landscape, especially as more Americans turn to social media for news consumption and public discourse,” Gonzalez said. “Our bill increases public transparency around paid partnerships between social media influencers and foreign governments to prevent deceptive practices that may hinder audiences from building a fully informed opinion.”
Luna herself has faced scrutiny over her relationships with leaders in Russia and her efforts to promote diplomatic engagement with Moscow, as well as disseminating alleged KGB files on the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy, as well as her meetings with members of Germany’s far-right AfD party.
She has made various claims about foreign influence in Washington, including asserting recently that an impending FBI investigation would reveal that a foreign government had placed interns to serve as agents on Capitol Hill.
She has also questioned the loyalty of unnamed dual citizen members of Congress, and has at times called for the U.S. to end aid to Israel and other foreign countries..
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