Congress has met multiple times to discuss the negative impacts that digital platforms such as Facebook, Google and Twitter have had in spreading misinformation and handling user data and its privacy. Nonetheless, no actual plans have been made in regards to regulating the social media giants.
One senator is trying to spark change with a policy paper that says these sites dominate every aspect of people's lives and have caused harmful effects. The report even chastises the government for failing to address the negative impacts of technology.
The paper gives a solution to the misinformation problem by suggesting automated bot accounts be labeled and any anonymous content provider should be identified so that people know where their information is coming from. It proposes that the Federal Trade Commission punish those who disobey.
The paper's mission to reduce anonymity may backfire for journalists who may need to keep their identity a secret. And free speech may be undermined in another point that the paper proposes, in which it asks to amend the Communications Decency Act by allowing platforms to disallow users from uploading negative or harassing content.