Bill · S. 3540· Senate(119-S-3540)
LISTOS Act of 2025
- Introduced
- 12/17/2025
- Last activity
- 12/17/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Sponsored by
- Ben Luján
- Cosponsors
- - 3 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the LISTOS Act of 2025, requires large online platforms to properly address the needs of people who use languages other than English. It pushes tech companies to evenly enforce their rules and safety policies across all languages where they make money. Platforms must report their staffing numbers, automated tools, and content moderation practices to the public and the Federal Trade Commission. Companies also have to make reporting tools and acceptable use policies accessible in all offered languages. Furthermore, the bill creates an advisory group to give guidance on language-sensitive technologies and sets up strict enforcement rules through the government and state attorneys general.
Yes· 3 of 21
Would immigrants be better off under this?+9
Immigrants and non-English speakers are the primary beneficiaries of this legislation, gaining safer platforms, accessible tools, and better fraud prevention.
Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this?+8
Hispanic Americans and other Spanish-speaking communities will see significantly improved content moderation and reduced fraud on major online platforms.
Would Asian Americans be better off under this?+8
Asian American communities speaking diverse languages will receive equitable protection and access on major online platforms.
The opposite
Would billionaires be better off under this?-3
Owners and major shareholders of large tech platforms face increased compliance costs, reporting burdens, and potential liability under the bill.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Equitable Enforcement and Safety: Section 3 requires covered platforms to use reasonably consistent processes for detecting, suppressing, and removing illegal or policy-violating content across all languages where they monetize. This is positive because it aims to reduce the spread of harmful content and stop the targeting of non-English speakers for fraud and harassment.
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Public Transparency on Moderation: Section 4 forces platforms to submit and publicly release annual reports detailing their content moderation staffing, automated processes, languages monitored, and response times. This ensures accountability by letting the public see whether big tech companies are treating non-English users fairly compared to English users.
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Consistent Access to Tools: Section 5 mandates that all user tools for reporting content and all acceptable use policies be accessible across all languages in which the platform offers its service. This helps everyday people easily report problems and understand platform rules regardless of what language they speak.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Exemption for Smaller Language Groups: Section 3(c)(2) exempts languages used by fewer than 100,000 users over a certain period from the consistent enforcement requirements. This could negatively impact smaller language communities by leaving them unprotected from harmful content and fraud if their user count falls below the threshold.
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Exemption for Encrypted Messaging: Section 3(c)(1) states that the consistent enforcement duty does not apply to messaging services provided by a covered platform to the extent they employ end-to-end encryption. This might leave users vulnerable to unmoderated harmful content transmitted through private messaging channels.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Immigrants+9Good For Asian Americans+8Good For Hispanic Americans+8Good For Children+4Good For Low Income Households+4Good For Seniors+4Good For Young Adults+4Good For L G B T Q Community+3Good For Middle Aged+3Good For Middle Class Households+3Good For Native Americans+3Good For Retirees+3Good For Students+3Good For Women+3Good For Billionaires-3
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+6Increase States Rights+5Increases Federal Power+4
- Education And Technology
- Increases Big Tech Regulation+7Improves Internet Access+5
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Racial Equity+7
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+6
- 12/17/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- 3 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
Mazie HironoDemocrat · Hawaii
Alex PadillaDemocrat · California
Ron WydenDemocrat · Oregon