“imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.”
That is the maximum prison penalty in Democrat Jim McGovern’s Big Tech Accountability Act for knowingly disseminating qualifying “fraudulent civic misinformation,” with the purpose or reasonable expectation that others will believe and rely or act on it.
The definition reaches materially false, fraudulent, or misleading information about government services and processes—including elections, public health, civil rights, and education.
The censorship mechanism is direct: federal prosecution of qualifying speech, backed by separate provisions increasing publishers’ and platforms’ exposure to civil lawsuits. Free Speech For People, the organization now demanding President Trump’s impeachment, says the legislation was developed with the group.
The bill’s definition of “publishing entity”includes print publishers, radio licensees, television stations, online services, and advertising agencies. Its separate publisher offense carries the same five-year maximum for knowingly publishing or targeting information in aid of a qualifying violation.
