New York State has been more aggressive in its response to the growth of
online electioneering. The “New York State Democracy Protection Act,” signed
into law by the governor in April 2018, expands the disclosure and disclaimer

violations of the law. Moreover, many of the Russian-backed Facebook ads did not mention or
picture federal candidates, and many argue that such ads are rightly unregulated as protected
speech under the First Amendment. For an example of this argument, see the October 2017
testimony before Congress of Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the Interactive
Advertising Bureau: www.iab.com/news/read-the-testimony-from-randall-rothenberg-president-
and-ceo-iab/.
Social_Media_and_Democracy