House Speaker Pelosi says advertisers should use their leverage to force social media companies to stop spreading misinformaiton

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) encouraged companies that advertise on social media to use their “tremendous leverage” to push platforms to crack down on disinformation. “Know your power,” Speaker Pelosi said. “Advertisers are in a position, they have power to discourage platforms from amplifying dangerous and even life-threatening disinformation. Some major advertisers and some not so major have begun to express objections to platform policies that promote voter fraud and violence ... We need to empower advertisers to continue to object and to use their power to hold social media companies accountable for their bad behavior. This is an undermining of democracy. It is a challenge to people’s health. It is just wrong.” Speaker Pelosi said the push must be a concerted effort between employees, consumers, Congress and advertisers.