The New York Times reported about a new “bill would require internet companies to provide information to the election commission about who is paying for online ads.” The October 19, 2017 report entitled “Senators Demand Online Ad Disclosures as Tech Lobby Mobilizes” included these comments:
Senator John McCain and two Democratic senators moved on Thursday to force Facebook, Google and other internet companies to disclose who is purchasing online political advertising, after revelations that Russian-linked operatives bought deceptive ads in the run-up to the 2016 election with no disclosure required.
After initially resisting requests to turn over Russian-linked ads, Facebook has provided them to a congressional committee investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election. But Google has yet to do so, and neither company has made the ads public.
This new law may place an interesting pall on social media!