# COVID-19 Disinformation Research and Reporting Act of 2021

This bill creates a system for studying and tracking false information about COVID-19, with a focus on understanding how misinformation spreads and what harm it causes. The bill directs federal health agencies to research disinformation related to the pandemic—things like false claims about vaccines, treatments, or prevention methods—and to report their findings to Congress.

The main goal is to give the government better tools to understand the problem of COVID misinformation so they can respond more effectively. This includes studying which false claims are most common, how they spread through social media and other channels, and what impact they have on public health decisions. The bill also asks agencies to look at how different groups are affected differently by misinformation and to identify what strategies actually work to counter false information.

In practical terms, this affects researchers, public health officials, and potentially social media companies that might be asked to provide data about how misinformation spreads on their platforms. For everyday people, the bill's intent is to help government agencies get better at fighting health misinformation so you're more likely to encounter accurate information about COVID-19 and similar health emergencies in the future. However, the bill itself doesn't create new restrictions on speech or require social media companies to remove content—it's primarily about research and understanding the problem rather than enforcement or censorship.

COVID–19 Disinformation Research and Reporting Act of 2021

Hirono, Mazie K.

COVID-19 Disinformation Research and Reporting Act of 2021 This bill requires the National Science Foundation to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study disinformation and misinformation about COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) on the internet and social media platforms.