Bill > HB1447

This bill, known as the Mississippi Social Media Fraud Accountability and Consumer Protection Act, establishes new responsibilities for social media platforms that accept payment for advertising to protect users from fraudulent advertisements, which are defined as paid or promoted content that misrepresents facts to induce a transaction. Social media platforms must implement robust identity verification for advertisers, programs to detect and remove impersonations, fraud detection systems, and user-friendly tools for reporting suspected fraud. If a fraudulent advertisement is reported, the platform must investigate and remove it within 72 hours, and then notify the reporter of the outcome. Platforms are also required to publish quarterly transparency reports detailing fraud reports, removals, and resolution times. Platforms can be held liable for damages if they violate these duties, fail to remove fraudulent ads promptly, or knowingly allow fraud. Violations are considered unfair or deceptive practices under Mississippi consumer protection laws, and the Attorney General can bring civil actions, with penalties of at least $10,000 per violation. Individuals harmed by a pattern of violations can also sue. The bill also amends existing laws to prohibit "caller ID spoofing," which is the practice of falsifying caller identification information, in advertisements and to prevent the unauthorized use of bank names in electronic advertisements or solicitations, with violations of this provision being considered fraudulent advertisements under this new act.

Business and Industry

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2026/pdf/history/HB/HB1447.xml