Counter Terrorgram Act of 2024

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9317 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9317

    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

                             August 6, 2024

  Mr. Pfluger (for himself and Mr. Panetta) 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 ``Counter Terrorgram Act of 2024''.

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 annually 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''--
                            (i) includes the applications specified in
                        subparagraph (B); and
                            (ii) means a person or entity that owns or
                        operates one or more social media platforms
                        that are domiciled in or has links 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; or
                                    (III) a terrorist organization.
                    (B) Applications specified.--The applications
                specified in this subparagraph include the following:
                            (i) ByteDance.
                            (ii) Douyin.
                            (iii) Redz.
                            (iv) Tamtam.
                            (v) Telegram.
                            (vi) TikTok.
                            (vii) Vkontakte.
                            (viii) WeChat.
                            (ix) Weibo.
                            (x) Zapya.
                            (xi) 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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