110 HRES 224 IH: Expressing the sense of the House of U.S. House of Representatives 2007-03-07 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 224 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 7, 2007 Mr. Shuster submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that corporate owners of websites that share user-posted videos should take action to remove jihadi propaganda.

Whereas since the World Wide Web’s public release in 1991, the Internet has evolved into a revolutionary tool to facilitate the free access and distribution of information instantaneously and electronically to peoples all over the world; Whereas the Internet has created a global community that has become the cornerstone of commerce, speech, and culture for the Twenty-first Century; Whereas jihadi terrorist organizations throughout the world have taken advantage of the Internet’s anonymity, low cost, and lack of regulation to raise funds as well as radicalize, recruit, and train potential members to join their organizations and participate in violent jihad against the West; Whereas terrorist organizations including Al-Qaeda have organized media operations such as as-Sahab, Sawt al-Khilafa (Voice of the Caliphate), and the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) to create and distribute jihadi propaganda and training materials on the Internet; Whereas jihadi terrorist media operations continue to utilize video and media sharing websites such as YouTube, Liveleak, Google Video, and others to spread their message of hate, propagandize their insurgent operations, and facilitate the training of prospective terrorists; Whereas the use of the Internet by jihadi organizations who seek the destruction of America has been identified by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM); as well as private organizations including the SITE Institute (Search for International Terrorist Entities), the Society for Internet Research, and the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) as a major threat to American troops, homeland security and our success in the Global War on Terror; Whereas social networking video distribution websites generally reserve the right to remove objectionable material; and Whereas many websites have recognized the threat these videos pose and have taken steps to remove them from circulation: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that— (1)terrorists view the Internet as a key tool in their ongoing jihad to recruit members, spread information, and distribute propaganda for their cause, and, in doing so, they have turned the World Wide Web into a new battleground in the War on Terror; (2)in a time of war, terrorist videos amount to enemy communications; (3)while Congress should not regulate the Internet, the owners of websites that share user-posted videos should exercise proper corporate governance and take steps to remove enemy propaganda from their sites; (4)if the owners of these website suspect that a user on their site is a member of or affiliated with a known terrorist organization, they should cooperate with law enforcement and the intelligence community to report questionable postings; and (5)Congress recognizes and applauds the work of the SITE Institute, the Society for Internet Research, the Middle East Media Research Institute and others for their work in combating online jihad and creating a resource for public education of the terrorist’s use of the Internet in the War on Terror.