HR5956-119

What This Bill Does

The Defending Against Foreign Propaganda Act creates a disclosure rule for foreign-funded advertisements. A person may not disseminate an advertisement to a consumer if it was paid for by a foreign government or foreign person unless the advertisement tells the consumer that fact. The bill tailors the form of the disclosure to the medium: audio ads need an audio disclosure, printed-language ads need printed-language disclosure, and video ads need both audio and printed-language disclosure. If the ad is paid for by a foreign person rather than a foreign government, the disclosure must identify the foreign country of citizenship or the foreign country where the person or entity has its principal place of business. Violations are treated as violations of an FTC rule on unfair or deceptive acts or practices, so the Federal Trade Commission enforces the rule with the same jurisdiction, powers, penalties, privileges, and immunities available under the FTC Act. The definition of foreign person includes aliens and partnerships, associations, corporations, organizations, or other combinations of persons with a principal place of business in a foreign country.

Who Benefits and How

Consumers benefit because foreign-government and foreign-person sponsorship must be disclosed directly in the advertisement they hear, read, or watch. The Federal Trade Commission benefits because the bill gives it a clear statutory hook to police undisclosed foreign-funded advertising as an unfair or deceptive practice. Domestic advertisers and civic organizations benefit from a more transparent advertising market when foreign sponsorship is identified. National security and election-integrity watchdogs benefit because country-of-citizenship and principal-place-of-business disclosures make foreign influence easier to detect.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Foreign governments and foreign persons paying for advertisements must disclose their sponsorship and, for foreign persons, identify the relevant foreign country. Advertisers, media buyers, platforms, broadcasters, publishers, and other disseminators must ensure audio, printed, and video disclosures are included before ads reach consumers. Foreign corporations and organizations with principal places of business abroad face FTC enforcement exposure if disclosure rules are not followed. FTC enforcement staff must investigate violations and apply penalties under the Federal Trade Commission Act framework.

Key Provisions

• Prohibits disseminating foreign-government or foreign-person paid advertisements to consumers without sponsorship disclosure.
• Requires audio, printed-language, and video disclosures matching the advertisement's format.
• Requires foreign-person ads to identify the foreign country of citizenship or principal place of business.
• Makes violations enforceable by the Federal Trade Commission as unfair or deceptive acts or practices.
• Defines foreign person to include aliens and foreign-based partnerships, corporations, organizations, and similar entities.