Transparency in Bureaucratic Communications Act
This bill, titled the Transparency in Bureaucratic Communications Act, would amend the Inspector General Act of 1978 to require Inspectors General (IGs) to report to Congress about any communications—actual or attempted—between federal agencies and internet platforms or related providers. Specifically, it adds a new reporting item that obligates IGs to give a detailed description of the contents and circumstances of such communications, including those related to content moderation, user-generated content, and any data inputs, algorithms, modeling, or analysis tools used by the platforms. The aim is to increase transparency around how federal agencies interact with social media platforms and other internet services. In effect, the bill broadens the IGs’ reporting scope to publicly disclose more about the nature of government dealings with tech platforms, particularly around content decisions and the technical processes behind platforms. This could lead to greater congressional oversight of agency-platform communications but may also raise questions about operational privacy, interagency candor, and the burden of expanded reporting.
Key Points
- 1Creates a new IG reporting requirement under Section 405(b) of the Inspector General Act of 1978, designated as paragraph (23).
- 2Requires a detailed description of the contents and circumstances of any communication, or attempted communication, between a federal agency and an internet computer service, information content provider, or access software provider (as defined in Section 230(f) of the Communications Act).
- 3Covers communications related to content moderation (230(c)(2)), user content (posts, photos, videos), and any other communications related to the provider’s data inputs, algorithms, modeling/simulation processes, analysis tools, or related tools.
- 4Applies to communications with entities defined as internet computer services, information content providers, or access software providers, per the definitions in the Communications Act.
- 5Includes both actual and attempted communications, ensuring that even unsuccessful outreach is documented.