Senator Rick Scott introduced the Stopping Online Confusion for Investigative Agencies and Law Enforcement by Maintaining Evidence Determined Interparty Arrangements (SOCIAL MEDIA) Act to combat the sale of fentanyl and other illicit drugs on social media platforms.
The SOCIAL MEDIA Act will allow for better law enforcement coordination in criminal cases with social media platforms by requiring 24/7 staffed-in-the-U.S.A. call centers for fielding information requests with clear guidelines for agencies to best expedite the process. Time is critical when catching these criminals. This bill will promote enhanced data collection, transparency in the data collected, and uniformity in data presented to better compare platform to platform on their efforts to combat illegal drug sales.
The SOCIAL MEDIA Act has been endorsed by the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Partnership for Safe Medicine and the Major County Sheriffs of America.
Senator Rick Scott said, “Fentanyl and other deadly drugs are making their way to Floridians’ doorsteps, not only through the dark web and drug dealers on the streets, but now through social media apps that our kids have access to. I have heard too many heartbreaking stories from families across my state about how they lost their child to an overdose of a drug bought through social media. Today, we say enough is enough. It is time to stop the drug dealers and social media platforms that are complicit in the death of the hundreds of thousands of lives we have lost to overdose. I am proud to stand with law enforcement and families today and introduce my SOCIAL MEDIA Act to finally hold folks accountable and hopefully prevent the loss of another life. I thank the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Partnership for Safe Medicine, and the Major County Sheriffs of America for their support and hope my colleagues in the Senate stand up against this epidemic and do the same.”
The National Sheriffs’ Association shared a letter of support. Read more HERE.
Shabbir Safdar, Executive Director, Partnership for Safe Medicines said, “Far too often these days, we hear stories of families losing a loved one to counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl. Unfortunately, these fake pills have become rampant across social media platforms, targeting and harming our children most, and its time they do more to help protect their communities and prevent this dangerous trend from continuing. But rather than work with law enforcement and families of those who suffered loss, they continue to evade law enforcement inquiries and delay action. The SOCIAL MEDIA Act aims to right this wrong by ensuring social media companies proactively and transparently work with law enforcement, family victims and the public to stop these drug dealers from operating on their platforms, ultimately helping to save lives of children across the country.”
The Major County Sheriffs of America Executive Director Megan Noland said, “Social media platforms are exploited by fentanyl trafficking networks to spread poison into American communities every day. The Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA) commends Senator Scott for recognizing that law enforcement needs timely access to evidence retained by social media companies so we can investigate drug trafficking crimes. The SOCIAL MEDIA Act would make it easier for law enforcement to initiate the process of obtaining critical evidence, and it would increase transparency around interactions between law enforcement and social media companies.”
Tags: Legislative Updates New Drug Trends Opioid Crisis Overdoses Social Media