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Educating Against Misinformation and Disinformation Act
12/29/2022, 9:48 PM
Summary of Bill HR 6971
The bill proposes several key measures to combat misinformation and disinformation. Firstly, it calls for the development of educational programs that will teach students how to identify and critically evaluate information they encounter online. These programs will focus on media literacy, fact-checking skills, and understanding the impact of misinformation on society.
Additionally, the bill aims to promote transparency and accountability among online platforms and social media companies. It calls for these companies to disclose their algorithms and policies for content moderation, as well as to implement measures to combat the spread of false information on their platforms. Furthermore, the bill proposes the establishment of a task force dedicated to monitoring and addressing misinformation and disinformation. This task force will work with government agencies, academic institutions, and civil society organizations to develop strategies for combating misinformation and promoting accurate information. Overall, the Educating Against Misinformation and Disinformation Act seeks to address the harmful effects of misinformation and disinformation on society by promoting media literacy, transparency, and accountability among online platforms. It represents a bipartisan effort to safeguard the public from the negative impacts of false information in the digital age.
Congressional Summary of HR 6971
Educating Against Misinformation and Disinformation Act
This bill establishes a commission and requires other activities to support information and media literacy education and to prevent misinformation and disinformation.
Specific duties of the commission include (1) implementing a national strategy to promote information and media literacy; and (2) identifying programs and resources on information and media literacy for use in elementary, secondary, and higher education, and adult education programs. The Department of Education (ED) must assess the effectiveness of the commission in promoting information and media literacy education.
ED must also award competitive grants to nonprofits (including institutions of higher education) to develop educational materials, public awareness campaigns, and other programming to promote information and media literacy and combat misinformation and disinformation. Additionally, ED must conduct a study to evaluate information and media literacy among the American public.
