Kean, Foster lead bipartisan call for social media companies to act against foreign bot farms
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Reps. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) and Bill Foster (D-Ill.) have sent a bipartisan letter urging major social media companies to strengthen efforts to combat foreign bot farms spreading disinformation and inciting political violence.
In the letter to the CEOs of Meta, X, YouTube, and Reddit, the lawmakers asked how each platform detects and manages adversarial bot accounts and how they coordinate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Department of Justice to address these threats.
“With the alarming rise of foreign bot accounts spreading disinformation and fueling political division in the United States, we must take decisive steps to address this threat and hold foreign governments accountable,” said Congressman Tom Kean Jr. “It is critical that we understand how our nation’s largest social media companies are detecting, tracking, and mitigating these malicious bots. We cannot allow foreign actors to exploit our online platforms to sow distrust, incite violence, and undermine the foundations of American democracy.”
“The recent rise in political violence poses a serious threat to American democracy,” said Congressman Bill Foster. “The Justice Department has found that foreign adversaries are using online bot farms to spread disinformation that fuels this violence. At a time when the American public needs to come together, social media platforms must do more to protect Americans from divisive foreign influence.”
The letter was also signed by Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).
