Protecting Against Public Safety Disinformation Act

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7282 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7282

  To require the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis of the
  Department of Homeland Security to assess, on an ongoing basis, the
potential terrorism implications of malign disinformation operations on
domestic preparedness for and collective response to terrorism or other
           homeland security threats, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 2020

 Ms. Underwood (for herself, Mr. Payne, Mrs. Demings, and Mr. Thompson
 of Mississippi) introduced the following bill; which was referred to
                   the Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To require the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis of the
  Department of Homeland Security to assess, on an ongoing basis, the
potential terrorism implications of malign disinformation operations on
domestic preparedness for and collective response to terrorism or other
           homeland security threats, 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 ``Protecting Against Public Safety
Disinformation Act''.

SEC. 2. TERRORISM THREAT ASSESSMENT AND RESEARCH REGARDING MALIGN
              DISINFORMATION OPERATIONS.

    (a) Threat Assessment.--
            (1) In general.--The Under Secretary for Intelligence and
        Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security shall, on an
        ongoing basis and in consultation with appropriate Federal
        partners, develop and disseminate to State, local, Tribal, and
        territorial officials, including officials from law
        enforcement, public health, fire and emergency medical
        services, and emergency management agencies, assessments of the
        potential terrorism implications of malign disinformation
        operations carried out by terrorist or foreign malicious actors
        on domestic preparedness for and collective response to
        terrorism or other homeland security threats.
            (2) Contents.--The terrorism assessments of malign
        disinformation operations required under paragraph (1) shall
        consider the following:
                    (A) Empirical data on malign disinformation
                operations, including the following:
                            (i) Topics subject to such operations.
                            (ii) Tactics used in such operations.
                            (iii) Characteristics and duration of such
                        operations.
                            (iv) Information on such terrorist or
                        foreign malicious actors carrying out such
                        operations.
                    (B) Details regarding the potential terrorism
                implications of such operations on domestic
                preparedness for and collective response to terrorism
                or other homeland security threats.
            (3) Documentation.--The Under Secretary for Intelligence
        and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security shall
        maintain documentation reflecting the basis for a determination
        that certain information that was used in a certain manner for
        a certain purpose that resulted in certain risks or threats
        satisfies the definition of a malign disinformation operation.
            (4) Form.--The Under Secretary for Intelligence and
        Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security shall submit to
        the appropriate congressional committees the terrorism
        assessments of malign disinformation operations required under
        paragraph (1). Such assessments may be submitted in classified
        form, but--
                    (A) shall include unclassified summaries; and
                    (B) may include unclassified annexes, if
                appropriate.
    (b) Research.--
            (1) In general.--The Under Secretary for Science and
        Technology of the Department of Homeland Security, in
        consultation with the Under Secretary for Intelligence and
        Analysis, the Privacy Officer, and the Officer for Civil Rights
        and Civil Liberties of the Department, shall conduct research
        to aid in the identification of malign disinformation
        operations carried out by terrorist or foreign malicious actors
        by studying documented malign disinformation operations that
        widely reached Americans that had implications for the
        preparedness for and response to terrorism or other homeland
        security threats. Such research shall--
                    (A) examine different patterns and tactics of
                malign disinformation operations to identify unique
                signatures; and
                    (B) identify the factors that contribute to
                effective malign disinformation operations.
            (2) Counter-approaches.--Together with the research
        required under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary for Science
        and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security shall
        develop recommendations for approaches to counter malign
        disinformation operations described in such paragraph.
            (3) Availability.--The Secretary of Homeland Security is
        authorized to share the research and recommendations for
        counter approaches conducted and developed pursuant to
        paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively, with State, local,
        Tribal, and territorial officials, including officials from law
        enforcement, public health, fire and emergency medical
        services, and emergency management agencies, as well as with
        appropriate Federal partners.
            (4) Submission.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 18 months after the
                date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary
                for Science and Technology of the Department of
                Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee on
                Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and
                the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
                Affairs of the Senate the results of the research and
                recommendations for counter approaches conducted and
                developed pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2),
                respectively.
                    (B) Form.--Results of the research conducted
                pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in
                unclassified form, but may include classified annexes,
                as appropriate. Recommendations developed pursuant to
                paragraph (2) shall be submitted in unclassified form.
    (c) Malign Disinformation Operation Defined.--In this section, the
term ``malign disinformation operation'' means false information
deliberately disseminated by terrorists or foreign malicious actors to
misinform the American public in a way that risks undermining domestic
preparedness for and collective response to terrorism or other homeland
security threats.
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