Reps. Don Bacon and Josh Gottheimer, alongside Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, have introduced the Stopping Terrorists Online Presence and Holding Accountable Tech Entities (STOP HATE) Act. This bipartisan legislation aims to address terrorism and disinformation on social media platforms.
“Everybody in our country is entitled to respect and not to be the object of hate and scorn,” said Rep. Bacon. “We need to work with our social media companies to clean this up because what is going on is wrong.”
Rep. Gottheimer highlighted the rise of disinformation and antisemitic hate online, noting its increase since the October 7 terrorist attacks. “Our legislation will be a new tool in our online arsenal to protect our nation against terrorists and foreign adversaries that continue to threaten us in new ways,” he stated.
Jonathan Greenblatt emphasized the global rise in antisemitism driven by unregulated extremist content online. He called for Congress to pass the STOP HATE Act without delay.
The proposed legislation requires social media companies to release reports on violations related to Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists content. It also mandates fines for non-compliance and demands oversight from the Director of National Intelligence regarding terrorist use of social media.
The ADL’s 2024 Social Media Scorecard reported failures by major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and X in addressing antisemitic content. Recent events such as posts supporting Adolf Hitler by AI chatbot Grok highlight ongoing challenges.
