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

<DOC>






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)).
                                 <all>