YourVoice.Now Summary
Your MoneyCivil LibertiesCorporate BenefitsTransparency & AccountabilityLets you sue a social media site or shopping site that breaks new consumer rules — and fine print can't stop you.
Your Money
Anyone harmed by a violation could file suit in state or federal court. A winner could recover real losses, lawyer fees, and court costs.
Shopping sites would have to state when you get a refund, repair, or other fix. They would also have to say how you claim it.
Your state attorney general could sue a platform on behalf of state residents. They could seek penalties, refunds, and other money for those residents.
Civil Liberties
Many sign-up agreements push disputes into private arbitration and ban group lawsuits. Those clauses would not apply to claims under this law, and a judge decides that question.
Platforms would have to say what gets posts removed or accounts closed. They would also have to tell you when someone reports your content and how to appeal.
Terms of service would have to stay public, machine-readable, and written in plain language. They would have to cover payment methods, who owns your posts, and when your content goes to outside companies.
Sites would have to measure and reduce harm caused by spreading posts that break their own rules. The same duty covers risks from content and products they host, including online harassment.
Corporate Benefits
Section 230 normally blocks most lawsuits against sites over what users post. It would not apply to claims that a site broke this law.
A separate change would add new language to Section 230 itself. It would say Section 230 never blocks the FTC from enforcing any law the agency handles, not just this one.
Sites would need written policies, staff training, and controls to catch risks to users. They would also name a consumer protection officer who reports straight to the CEO.
The terms and program duties have no small-business exemption, and one outside seller makes a site a marketplace. Only the yearly FTC filing has a size cutoff.
Transparency & Accountability
Sites above $250,000 in prior-year revenue or 10,000 average monthly users would file every year. The FTC would post the filings, and would have to name any category it holds back and why.
The chief executive and the consumer protection officer would each sign the yearly filing. They would swear it leaves out no important fact and does not mislead.
The FTC would study short labels or icons that show a site's moderation and consumer rules. It would post the report, then set rules within a year unless a majority of commissioners votes no.
More about this bill
Social media sites and online marketplaces would have to post their rules in plain, everyday language. The rules would have to say what content is allowed and when it can be removed. Sites would also have to explain how you appeal a takedown. Shopping sites would have to spell out when you can get a refund or repair. Social sites would have to describe the help they offer people facing online harassment. If a site broke these rules, you could sue it in state or federal court. If you win, you could recover your actual losses plus lawyer fees. Fine-print clauses that force arbitration or block class actions would not hold up. Section 230, the law that usually shields platforms from suits over user posts, would not apply here. Your state attorney general could also sue and seek money back for residents. Each site would have to run a written consumer protection program. It would also name a consumer protection officer who reports to the CEO. Sites with over $250,000 in yearly revenue would file a yearly report with the Federal Trade Commission. Sites with more than 10,000 monthly users would file too. The FTC would post those filings online. The CEO would have to personally vouch that each filing is accurate. Most other duties would apply at any size, even to a site with one outside seller.
Congressional Summary
Online Consumer Protection ActThis bill requires social media platforms and online marketplaces to establish, maintain, and disclose terms of service that include a consumer protection policy.The terms must cover issues such as payment methods, content ownership, and policies related to sharing user content with third parties.Further, the consumer protection policy must address what content or products are permitted on the platform or marketplace and how content or products may be blocked, removed, or modified. The policy for social media platforms also must describe the tools and support available to users who have experienced cyber harassment.Social media platforms and online marketplaces must develop and implement a consumer protection program to maintain compliance with the terms of service, consumer protection policies, and consumer protection laws. Platforms and marketplaces with annual revenues that exceeded $250,000 in the prior year or more than 10,000 active monthly users on average in the prior year also must submit to the Federal Trade Commission annual filings with respect to the requirements of this bill.The bill provides for enforcement by the commission, state attorneys general, and private civil action.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-04-10
- Date Added
- 2026-05-15
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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