Three years ago, Assemblyman James Skoufis was targeted by a fake account on Facebook thanking him for backing the Dream Act, which provides tuition assistance to undocumented immigrants. But the ad was targeted at Republicans, who generally opposed the measure, and was the first of several social media ads targeting the Democratic lawmaker with manipulative messages. 

"These ads are false, they're malicious and people can't determine the motivation behind the ad," said Skoufis (D - Woodbury).

Lawmakers this week called for new disclosure requirements for social media ads, which can target individual voters with misleading information and without revealing who paid for them.

"There's no reason not to do this," said Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D - Long Beach). "Facebook must be made to step up to the task and make sure we have the proper discourse our democracy deserves."

The bill would require social media platforms, newspapers and radios to follow the same rules for political ads that appear on TV. Ads would need to include information about who paid for them, and be taken down if they are inaccurate.

"Just let us know where these ads are coming from," Kaminsky said. "That's the law that we have with our television ads, but New York has a gaping loophole that does not apply to radio ads, to print ads and does not apply to social media. We have to change that."

The push for new disclosure is backed by Governor Andrew Cuomo, who included a similar transparency requirement for social media in his budget proposal. It also comes after a heated 2016 election in which Russian agents sought to influence through Twitter and Facebook, injecting false information into the political bloodstream.

And when it comes to election hacking itself, a state Board of Elections spokesman said Thursday that New York officials were working with federal law enforcement to strengthen cybersecurity efforts ahead of the 2018 congressional races. 

But for lawmakers in Albany, the concern for now is making sure they're on an even playing field when it comes to social media.

"We need for people who are putting out ads and putting out opinions to let people know who they are," said Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.