[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1212 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1212
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
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)).
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