What I’ve Learned

To conclude what I discerned from my research; the American people deserve more information and protection from their government when it comes to political ads through social media. Data collection and manipulation is happening all the time with the American peoples’ internet usage and this is often taken in and targeted ads are created for specific consumers. Targeted ads are a “form of online advertising that focuses on the specific traits, interests, and preferences of a consumer”. This process is often done by consumer brands hoping to reach potential customers. Though in recent years political campaigns have begun leveraging this information to dole out ads that may provide lies and misinformation. This practice has become far too widespread, is prone to unethical and potentially illegal behavior, has limited the transparency of our political process, and in turn may be harming the legitimacy of our elections. In order to fix this, I believe legislation on the federal level is required that makes sweeping changes to current campaign system. My perspective has actually been validated by a bipartisan Congressional bill, the Honest Ads Act, that was introduced by U.S. Senators, Mark Warner (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar. (D-MN), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). The fact that lawmakers in Washington are recognizing the significance of this issue is paramount, and shows that change may be in order soon.