On the recordMarch 23, 2021
I rise today to introduce the COVID-19 Disinformation Research and Reporting Act. I thank Representative Jennifer Wexton for working with me on this important piece of legislation, which will help shine a light on the ways social media and other online platforms amplify and spread misinformation and disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic to the detriment of public health. I also thank my colleagues--Senators Booker, Blumenthal, Klobuchar, Warren, and Reed--for cosponsoring this bill. As I stand here today nearly 30 million Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and over 540,000 have died from the virus. The numbers alone are staggering. But when you hear and read the personal stories of individuals and families who are suffering, it is truly tragic. It makes you mournful that for many of the individuals who died, they died alone in the absence of their loved ones. While many things contributed to this massive loss of life, I am here to talk about one in particular: the insidious spread of coronavirus- related misinformation and disinformation online. This ``infodemic'' has undercut the efforts of public health officials at every turn, and threatens to prolong the virus's impact on the health of our people and economy long after a safe and effective vaccine is available. The online spread of misinformation about public health is nothing new. Claims that the 2014 Ebola epidemic was a form of population control spread across social media.…
