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Hon.

Mark Warner
U.S. Senate
703 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C., 20515

November 8, 2017

Dear Senator Warner,

Common Sense Kids Action, the policy arm of Common Sense Media, applauds your leadership
in improving accountability and transparency on online platforms. We are writing to let you
know that we strongly support your bill, the Honest Ads Act, which would require disclosures
for campaign advertisements. We are adding it to our Common Sense Legislative Ratings Tool
as a For Kids bill and will communicate our position to our parent and teacher members. Feel
free to use our organizations name in association with your efforts on this bill.

Common Sense is the nations leading independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping
kids thrive in a world of media and technology. We empower parents, teachers, and
policymakers by providing unbiased information, trusted advice, and innovative tools to help
them harness the power of media and technology as a positive force in all kids lives. The policy
arm, Common Sense Kids Action, is building a movement of parents, teachers, business leaders,
and other advocates dedicated to making kids our nations top priority by supporting policies at
the state and federal level that contribute to the building blocks of opportunity for kids.

Common Sense is committed to helping parents and educators teach kids to spot deceptive
media. The advent of fake news spread during the last election cycle only brought into sharper
focus the need for this type of digital education. Particularly disturbing was the prevalence of
misleading campaign advertisements on social media, as well as other purported news spread
through these sites. Transparency on these sites is particularly important for young people.
Common Senses research found that half of kids get their news from online media, and it is the
most preferred source.

We believe that the government can work hand-in-hand with social media platforms and groups
like Common Sense to combat the spread of misleading information and its impact on our kids.
By requiring those who purchase and publish political advertisements online to disclose
information about them, the Honest Ads Act will improve election transparency on social media
platforms. This is an excellent first step towards increasing overall transparency on these
platforms, so that Americans that turn to them for news and information, especially kids, are not
misled.

2200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. 575 Madison Ave. Headquarters:


4th Floor East New York, NY 10020 650 Townsend St., #435
Washington, D.C. 20037 San Francisco, CA 94103
(202) 350-9992
Hon. Mark Warner
November 8, 2017
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Thank you again for your leadership on this issue. We look forward to working with you to build
support for this important measure, and please feel free to draw on us as a resource when it
comes to this and other issues affecting children and families.

Sincerely,

/s/ Craig Cheslog /s/ Ariel Fox Johnson

Craig Cheslog Ariel Fox Johnson


Vice President Senior Policy Counsel

Who we are: Common Sense is the nations leading organization dedicated to helping families
and educators thrive in a rapidly changing world. Common Sense rates, educates, and advocates
on behalf of parents, teachers, and kids to ensure all children have the opportunity to succeed in
the 21st century. With over 65 million Common Sense users, hundreds of thousands of educators,
and advocates in every state, Common Senses advocacy platform is building a movement
dedicated to making kids our nations top priority.

www.commonsense.org

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