The Georgia State House has approved a bill requiring social media platforms to disclose information about political messengers.

The State Duma Affairs Committee unanimously supported a bill on Thursday that requires mandatory disclosure of any content for which political campaigns and candidates pay celebrities and other influential figures on social media. Bill No. 1039, the so-called social media influencers law, proposed by Deputy Scott Hilton, is now heading to the House committee, which will consider whether the measure will proceed to a full session for a vote.

A Republican from Peachtree Corners noted that he is not aware of any other state having passed a similar law aimed at informing voters when candidates or political campaigns and committees pay people for supporting a candidate on social media. Disclosure will be mandatory if an influencer receives payment in cash or other goods and services.

"The only goal is for our voters to know who is paying for what and where the money is going. The media is shifting from traditional TV commercials that you see on TV to this," Hilton said, showing his mobile phone at a committee meeting on Thursday. "If you, as a candidate, are paying an influencer on social media to post an ad about how wonderful you are, that should be disclosed verbally in the post or in writing," he added.

Violating the disclosure law on social media can result in a fine imposed by the Georgian Ethics Commission, which oversees other types of campaign finance reporting for candidates in Georgia elections.

According to a report by the data analytics company AdImpact, spending on political advertising in the U.S. significantly increased in 2020 and 2022 on digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and online streaming services. AdImpact forecasts that in 2020, $1.7 billion was spent on political digital advertising, accounting for about 19% of the total amount.

The Brennan Center for Justice's Institute for Public Policy has urged the Federal Election Commission to update the disclosure requirements for political advertising so that voters are aware when candidates use unconventional forms of online political advertising. "Commercial advertisers are already paying influencers to promote their products and services, sometimes without clearly stating that the influencer is being compensated for their support. Political advertisers are employing similar tactics," the Brennan Center stated in a letter to the federal commission on January 9.