# The Honest Ads Act: What You Need to Know

The Honest Ads Act is designed to bring transparency to political advertising on the internet, similar to rules that already exist for TV and radio ads. Right now, when you see a political ad on Facebook, Google, or other online platforms, there's often no clear information about who paid for it or how much they spent. This bill would change that by requiring online platforms to disclose who's behind political ads and maintain public records of them, much like broadcasters have done for decades.

Under this law, political advertisers would need to include clear disclaimers on their ads stating who paid for them—whether it's a candidate, political party, or outside group. Online platforms would be required to keep detailed records of political ads, including how much was spent, who the target audience was, and how many people saw them. These records would be made publicly available so voters can see the full picture of who's trying to influence them and how much money is being spent. The bill applies to ads that promote or oppose candidates, ballot measures, or political parties.

The practical effect is that political advertising on the internet would work much more like political advertising on television. If you see a political ad online, you'd be able to find out who paid for it and access information about the ad's reach and spending. This is meant to help voters make more informed decisions by understanding the money and interests behind the messages they're seeing. For advertisers and platforms, it means additional compliance requirements and record-keeping responsibilities, but the goal is to create a more transparent political advertising landscape where voters have the same information online that they already have access to through traditional media.

Honest Ads Act

Klobuchar, Amy

Honest Ads Act This bill applies requirements, limitations, and protections regarding political advertising in traditional media to paid internet or digital political advertising. The bill sets forth special rules for disclosure statements for certain internet or digital ads. Each television or radio station, provider of cable or satellite television, or online platform must ensure that the political advertising it hosts is not directly or indirectly purchased by a foreign national. The bill outlines political record requirements for online platforms, including by requiring these platforms to publish a record of any qualified political advertisement purchased by a person whose aggregate purchases of qualified political advertisements on the platform during the calendar year exceeds $500. Additionally, these online platforms must display notices with online political advertisements that identify the sponsor of the advertisement.