Transparency in Bureaucratic Communications Act

This bill would make federal agencies more transparent about how they interact with social media and other online platforms. It tells each agency’s independent watchdog (the Inspector General) to add to their regular twice-a-year reports to Congress details about any communication or attempted communication with online platforms. These details include what the communication was about and the circumstances around it, including topics like content moderation, specific user posts, photos, or videos, and even a platform’s data, algorithms, and analysis tools, as described in the bill text and summary .

Key points:

• Who is affected: Federal offices of inspectors general; online platforms indirectly; the public and Congress, who get more visibility into these contacts.
• What changes: Semiannual reports must include details about communications or attempted communications with social media and online services, including those about content moderation, user content, and platform tools and algorithms .
• When: This information is added to the already required twice-yearly reports to Congress.