COVID–19 Disinformation Research and Reporting Act of 2021
Bill: S.913 | Sponsor: Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. (D-HI)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
COVID-19 Disinformation Research and Reporting Act of 2021
This bill requires the National Science Foundation to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study disinformation and misinformation about COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) on the internet and social media platforms.

To conduct a study on the spread of COVID-19-related disinformation and 
  misinformation on the internet and social media platforms, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``COVID-19 Disinformation Research and 
Reporting Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 
        Medicine and the National Science Foundation have provided 
        scientific, evidence-based findings and foundational research, 
        across all disciplines, that benefit the people of the United 
        States.
            (2) Accurate and reliable information is imperative for 
        health and safety during a national emergency like the COVID-19 
        pandemic.
            (3) Disinformation and misinformation have spread 
        alarmingly during the COVID-19 pandemic, hindering the public 
        response efforts of Federal, State, local, and indigenous 
        leaders.
            (4) The internet and social media have made it easier to 
        spread fake medical information, such as unproven treatments 
        for COVID-19, or inaccurate information that undermines 
        scientific experts.
            (5) The internet and social media have likewise made it 
        easier to spread disinformation and misinformation about the 
        safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, impacting public 
        acceptance of the vaccines and threatening to prolong the 
        pandemic.
            (6) COVID-19-related disinformation has been weaponized by 
        foreign adversaries, including Russia, China, and Iran, through 
        the use of fake social media accounts and bot networks to 
        amplify content.
            (7) Understanding the financial incentives for entities 
        spreading and amplifying disinformation and misinformation can 
        help to combat its distribution.

SEC. 3. SCIENCE STUDY ON COVID-19-RELATED DISINFORMATION AND 
              MISINFORMATION.

    (a) Study.--Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Director of the National Science Foundation shall enter 
into an arrangement with the National Academies of Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study on the current 
understanding of the spread of COVID-19-related disinformation and 
misinformation on the internet and social media platforms. The study 
shall address--
            (1) the roles disinformation and misinformation have played 
        in the public response to COVID-19, including public acceptance 
        of and demand for COVID-19 vaccines;
            (2) the sources, both foreign and domestic, of COVID-19-
        related disinformation and misinformation, and the mechanisms 
        by which that disinformation and misinformation influence the 
        public debate;
            (3) the role social media plays in the dissemination and 
        promotion of COVID-19-related disinformation and misinformation 
        content and the role social media platforms play in the 
        organization of groups seeking to spread COVID-19-related 
        disinformation and misinformation;
            (4) the potential financial returns for creators or 
        distributors of COVID-19-related disinformation and 
        misinformation and the role such financial incentives play in 
        the propagation of COVID-19-related disinformation and 
        misinformation;
            (5) potential strategies to mitigate the dissemination and 
        negative impacts of COVID-19-related disinformation and 
        misinformation (and specifically the dissemination of 
        disinformation and misinformation on social media), including 
        through improved disclosures and addressing information 
        literacy; and
            (6) an analysis of--
                    (A) the limitations of the mitigation strategies 
                described in paragraph (5); and
                    (B) how the strategies can be implemented without 
                infringing on the constitutional rights and civil 
                liberties of the people of the United States.
    (b) Report.--In entering into an arrangement under this section, 
the Director of the National Science Foundation shall request that the 
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine transmit to 
Congress a report on the results of the study not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this Act.
    (c) Authorization.--There is authorized to be appropriated, for the 
purposes of conducting the study under this section, $1,000,000.
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