Media sites that don’t purge bots should be fined, US senator says

(FILES) This file photo taken on November 20, 2017 shows logos of US online news and social networking service Twitter displayed on computers' screens. The European Commission said on February 15, 2018 that US social media giants have made an effort to comply with EU consumer protection rules, but that Facebook and Twitter have not made all the required changes. / AFP PHOTO / LOIC VENANCE

Social media giants Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc should be fined if they don’t weed out automated accounts, or bots, trying to influence US public opinion, said Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar. 

“I think that would be a great idea,” Klobuchar, of Minnesota, said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday when asked whether the companies should face fines if they fail to act after the government discovers the bots.