February 11, 2025
Mr. Pfluger (for himself, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Weber of Texas, and Mr. Evans of Colorado) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct annual assessments on terrorism threats to the United States posed by terrorist organizations utilizing foreign cloud-based mobile or desktop messaging applications, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act
.
Sec. 2. Sense of Congress regarding the use of foreign cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging applications for terrorist activity
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1)
the heightened terrorism threat landscape and the increasing utilization of foreign cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging applications by terrorist organizations represent a national security threat, and the challenges posed by such threat are not well understood; and
(2)
the Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, must take steps to recognize, assess, and address such threat, thereby reducing risks to the people of the United States.
Sec. 3. Annual assessments on terrorism threats to the United States posed by terrorist organizations utilizing foreign cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging applications
(a) Assessments
(1) In general
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter for five years, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees an assessment of terrorism threats to the United States posed by terrorist organizations utilizing foreign cloud-based mobile or desktop messaging applications.
(2) Contents
The terrorism threat assessments under paragraph (1) shall address the following:
(A)
In the first such assessment, an analysis of incidents in which terrorist organizations have utilized foreign cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging applications to facilitate the ability to radicalize and recruit individuals.
(B)
Information related to online payment features of foreign cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging applications, and how such features provide monetary support to terrorist organizations.
(C)
Recommendations on appropriate measures to address terrorism threats to the United States posed by terrorist organizations utilizing foreign cloud-based mobile or desktop messaging applications.
(3) Coordination
Each terrorism threat assessment under paragraph (1)—
(A)
shall be coordinated with the Office of the General Counsel, the Privacy Office, and the Office of for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Department of Homeland Security prior to release outside the Department to ensure each such assessment complies with applicable law and protects individuals’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties, and
(B)
may be informed by existing products, as appropriate.
(4) Form
Each terrorism threat assessment under paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex only for the protection of intelligence sources and methods relating to the matters contained in such assessment. The Secretary of Homeland Security shall post on a publicly available website of the Department of Homeland Security the unclassified portion of each such assessment.
(5) Briefing
Not later than 30 days after the submission of each terrorism threat assessment under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall brief the appropriate congressional committees regarding each such assessment. The head of any other relevant Federal department or agency shall join the Secretary for any such briefing if any such committee, in consultation with the Secretary, determines such is appropriate.
(6) Appropriate congressional committees
In this subsection, the term appropriate congressional committees means the Committee on Homeland Security and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
(b) Information sharing
The Secretary of Homeland Security shall review information relating to terrorism threats to the United States posed by terrorist organizations utilizing foreign cloud-based mobile or desktop messaging applications that is gathered by State and local fusion centers and the National Network of Fusion Centers, and incorporate such information, as appropriate, into the Department of Homeland Security’s own information relating to such. The Secretary shall ensure the dissemination to State and local fusion centers and the National Network of Fusion Centers of such information.
(c) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Foreign cloud-based mobile or desktop messaging applications
(A) In general
The term foreign cloud-based mobile or desktop messaging applications includes any application specified in subparagraph (B) that has a connection, relationship, or other association with or to any of the following:
(i)
A foreign adversary (as such term is defined in section 7.2 of subpart A of part 7 of subtitle A of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations).
(ii)
A person owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adversary.
(iii)
A terrorist organization.
(B) Applications specified
An application specified in this subparagraph includes the following:
(i)
An application owned or operated, in whole or in part, by ByteDance.
(ii)
Tamtam.
(iii)
Telegram.
(iv)
Vkontakte.
(v)
WeChat.
(vi)
Weibo.
(vii)
RedNote.
(viii)
Any other application the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, determines appropriate.
(2) Fusion center
The term fusion center has the meaning given such term in subsection (k) of section 210A of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 124h).
(3) National Network of Fusion Centers
The term National Network of Fusion Centers means a decentralized arrangement of fusion centers intended to enhance the ability of individual State and local fusion centers to leverage the capabilities and expertise of all such fusion centers for the purpose of enhancing analysis and homeland security information sharing nationally.
(4) Terrorist organization
The term terrorist organization means—
(A)
any entity designated as a foreign terrorist organization pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189); or
(B)
any entity engaged in terrorism, as such term is defined in section 2(18) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101(18)).