CS/HB 1541 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1541-01-c1
Page 1 of 4
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to transparency in social media; 2
creating s. 501.20411, F.S.; providing a short title; 3
providing legislative findings; providing definitions; 4
requiring foreign-adversary-owned entities operating 5
social media platforms in the state to publicly 6
disclose specified information in a certain manner; 7
requiring foreign-adversary-owned entities operating 8
social media platforms to implement a user 9
verification system for certain entities; providing 10
penalties; requiring enforcement by the Department of 11
Legal Affairs; providing an effective date. 12
13
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14
15
Section 1. Section 501.20411, Florida Statute s, is created 16
to read: 17
501.20411 Transparency in Social Media Act. — 18
(1) This section may be cited as the "Transparency in 19
Social Media Act." 20
(2) The Legislature finds that: 21
(a) Social media platforms play a significant role in 22
shaping public discou rse and opinion. 23
(b) Algorithms used by social media platforms can 24
influence user behavior and content visibility. 25
CS/HB 1541 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1541-01-c1
Page 2 of 4
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(c) Transparency in the functioning of such algorithms and 26
in political and social advertising is vital for safeguarding 27
democratic values and user privacy. 28
(d) Ownership of social media platforms by foreign 29
entities can raise concerns regarding foreign influence and data 30
security. 31
(3) For purposes of this section, the term: 32
(a) "Algorithm" has the same meaning as in s. 501.2041(1). 33
(b) "Foreign-adversary-owned entity" or "entity" means a 34
social media company that is more than 15 -percent owned or 35
controlled by nationals, governments, or corporations domiciled, 36
incorporated, or otherwise holding residence in a country 37
designated as a foreign adversary under 15 C.F.R. s. 7.4. As 38
used in this paragraph, the term "owned or controlled" means 39
that a national, government, or corporation designated as a 40
foreign adversary has power: 41
1. Over the election of the directors, or of individuals 42
exercising similar functions, for the entity; or 43
2. To exercise influence over the management of the 44
entity. 45
(c) "Social media platform" means a public online service 46
that allows users to create and share or participate in social 47
networking. 48
(d) "Social or political advertising" means any 49
advertisement on a social media platform that discusses social 50
CS/HB 1541 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1541-01-c1
Page 3 of 4
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
or political issues or is intended to influence public opinion 51
or electoral outcomes. 52
(4)(a) Each foreign -adversary-owned entity operating a 53
social media platform in the state must publicly disclose the 54
core functional elements of the social media platform's content 55
curation and algorithms. 56
(b) The disclosure must identify: 57
1. The factors that influence content ranking and 58
visibility. 59
2. Measures taken to address misinformation and harmful 60
content. 61
3. The process of personalization and targeting of 62
content. 63
(5) Each foreign-adversary-owned entity operating a social 64
media platform must make publicly available the source code of 65
its algorithms through an open -source license. 66
(6)(a) Each foreign -adversary-owned entity operating a 67
social media platform must implement a user verification system 68
for each user and organization that purchases advertisements 69
concerning social or political issue s. The system must verify 70
key identifying information, including citizenship, residency, 71
and age of the user or the individuals that own the 72
organization, as applicable. 73
(b) Once verified, the identity of the purchaser of each 74
social or political adverti sement must be disclosed with the 75
CS/HB 1541 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1541-01-c1
Page 4 of 4
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
advertisement. 76
(7)(a) A foreign-adversary-owned entity operating a social 77
media platform that violates this section is liable up to 78
$10,000 for each discrete violation. 79
(b) The Department of Legal Affairs shall enforce this 80
section. 81
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 82