LAST WEEKEND, THE president of the United States urged Americans to vote twice in the upcoming election. This brazen—and illegal—suggestion spread quickly across social media and once again underscored the unprecedented risks of this election season: the Covid-19 pandemic, an onslaught of disinformation, and online echo chambers stoking vitriol that could turn to violence. With more Americans than ever working, going to school, and gathering online, social media platforms have an urgent responsibility to step up in order to ensure the integrity of this election. So far, they haven’t done nearly enough.

As a former chair of the Federal Elections Commission, this is an issue that’s near and dear to my heart. During my tenure I made the changing role of technology in our elections a major focus. I know there’s a road map to protect our elections. Unfortunately, the FEC does not even have a quorum currently, and therefore cannot take action on this. Quorum or no quorum, the FEC has been discussing online advertising for five years and failed to regulate the industry in any way. Protecting the 2020 election requires social media companies to act now.

Källa: Democracy Will Only Work If the Social Media Giants Grow Up