Digital Integrity in Democracy Act
Senate Panel Weighs Stripping Social Media Liability Shields for False Voting Info
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Would limit legal protections for large social media platforms if they knowingly or intentionally leave up false information about how to vote.
- Covers “objectively incorrect” details like when and where to vote, how voting works, and who is eligible—while excluding normal political opinions about candidates or parties.
- Requires platforms to review written complaints and, if the info is wrong, take it down within 48 hours (or within 24 hours during an election period).
- Lets the U.S. Attorney General, state officials, or affected candidates sue platforms that don’t remove the content on time, with set money damages per post and court orders to remove it.
- Applies only to very large platforms (at least 25 million monthly U.S. users) and gives protection if the platform removes the false voting info quickly after learning about it.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
4 articlesWelch introduces 'Digital Integrity' bill to counter false election administration content
Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) led a group of senators in introducing the Digital Integrity in Democracy Act. The bill aims to hold social media platforms accountable for knowingly hosting false election administration information by carving out a narrow exception to Section 230 immunity.
August 2024 US Tech Policy Roundup
The Digital Integrity in Democracy Act (S. 4977) was introduced to hold social media operators accountable for intentionally hosting false election administration information. The bill targets objectively incorrect details about voting procedures while excluding political speech about candidates.
March 2025 US Tech Policy Roundup
Senator Peter Welch reintroduced the Digital Integrity in Democracy Act (S. 840) in March 2025. The legislation seeks to hold social media platforms liable if they knowingly host false information regarding the time, place, or manner of elections and fail to remove it within specified windows.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Digital Integrity in Democracy Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(4)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.