[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 17, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6319-H6320]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PROTECTING DIPLOMATS FROM SURVEILLANCE THROUGH CONSUMER DEVICES ACT

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4989) to require the Department of State to 
establish a policy regarding the use of location-tracking consumer 
devices by employees at diplomatic and consular facilities, and for 
other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4989

       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 Diplomats from 
     Surveillance Through Consumer Devices Act''.

     SEC. 2. SECURE UNITED STATES DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR 
                   FACILITIES AGAINST CYBERSURVEILLANCE.

       (a) Policy on Location-Tracking Consumer Devices.--Not 
     later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this 
     Act, the Secretary of State shall establish a policy on the 
     use of location-tracking consumer devices, including GPS-
     enabled devices, at United States diplomatic and consular 
     facilities by United States Government employees, 
     contractors, locally employed staff and members of other 
     agencies deployed to or stationed at such facilities.
       (b) Security Briefing.--Existing and new employees at 
     United States diplomatic and consular facilities, including 
     contractors, locally employed staff, and members of other 
     agencies deployed to or stationed at such facilities, shall, 
     as a part of the security briefings provided to such 
     employees, be informed of the policy described in subsection 
     (a) and given instructions on the use of location-tracking 
     consumer devices both on and off the premises of such 
     facilities.
       (c) Coordination.--The Secretary of State may coordinate 
     with the heads of any other agencies whose employees are 
     deployed to or stationed at United States diplomatic and 
     consular facilities in the formulation of the policy 
     described in subsection (a) and the dissemination of such 
     policy pursuant to subsection (b).
       (d) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the formulation 
     of the policy described in subsection (a), the Secretary of 
     State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
     House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations of the Senate a report on the details of such 
     policy.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce).
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  First, I thank Mr. Castro and Mr. McCaul, the co-authors of this 
legislation. I know Mr. McCaul knows some of the dangers that our 
diplomats face overseas. In his past service to the United States, he 
has been in parts of this dangerous world, and this is what our 
diplomats face. As they work to prevent armed conflict, there are armed 
combatants on the other side of those issues. As they try to combat 
terrorism, as they are working out there to empower women or to open 
new markets for U.S. exports, they are in tough environments. In turn, 
it is our job to ensure that our diplomats have the information and 
resources they need to stay safe while they serve our country overseas.

                              {time}  1700

  Now more than ever, everyday devices such as smartphones include 
location tracking capabilities. While these are enormously useful 
tools, they also, obviously, present security concerns as users' 
locations can then be tracked by others, by hostiles.
  For the thousands of State Department employees who work overseas, 
this is a real concern. It is a real security risk.
  While the State Department has longstanding and thorough policies on 
the use of these devices while in embassies and in consulates, the 
Department has no such policy to guide personnel outside Department 
grounds. And that is where we send them, outside the Department 
grounds.
  So the bill before us today addresses this security gap. It mandates 
that the State Department develop a comprehensive, modernized policy on 
devices that contain tracking capability. It also requires that all 
current and future diplomatic staff be briefed on the new policy and 
current best practices for using devices that are enabled with local 
tracking features. The objective is to build in a culture of safety and 
self-awareness.
  Technology is advancing every day, and we must not allow our agencies 
to expose personnel to new risks.
  I urge my colleagues to support this act, and I reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 4989, the Protecting Diplomats from 
Surveillance Through Consumer Devices Act. This bill, again, passed our 
committee by unanimous, bipartisan voice vote.
  I want to begin by thanking Mr. Castro, and also others, for 
introducing this legislation. I am pleased to be one of the cosponsors.
  This bill aims to ensure the Department of State has policies in 
place to prevent our adversaries from tracking the locations of our 
Foreign Service officers through their electronic devices.
  From fitness trackers, to smartwatches, to phones, most of us have at 
least one device that could be used to track us with the right 
technology that has GPS capacities. Many of us would literally be lost 
without these devices, but they could pose a security risk. This is 
especially true for our diplomats overseas whose locations and travels 
can reveal sensitive information sources. Location information is a 
potential gold mine to our adversaries.
  This commonsense measure would make sure that the Secretary of State 
has a policy in place on the safe use of consumer electronic devices by 
our diplomatic and consular facilities and personnel. It would require 
proper training for employees and contractors, and ensure that the 
policy is coordinated across all parts of our government that use our 
diplomatic and consular facilities.
  This bill would also improve congressional oversight of this policy.
  This bill will reduce the security risks associated with GPS devices 
and other consumer electronic device.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), chairman of the Committee on 
Homeland Security, a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, 
and the coauthor of this measure.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill, the 
Protecting Diplomats from Surveillance Through Consumer Devices Act.

[[Page H6320]]

  Earlier this year, a private sector analysis revealed the risks of 
using wearable technologies, such as Fitbits and Apple Watches, which 
use GPS tracking. As the report stated, researchers were able to track 
the movements of the deployed troops in overseas locations.
  This, obviously, poses an enormous national security risk for our 
soldiers serving abroad. Enemies could track patrol routes or discover 
the locations of secret foreign installments.
  This exposure puts our diplomats at risk as well. We have men and 
women engaging in diplomatic efforts all over the world, often in 
sensitive and high-risk areas. We must not make it easier for our 
enemies to track their movements.
  As such, our bill requires the Department of State to establish a 
policy on use of location-tracking devices by diplomats at U.S. 
facilities around the world.

  As the chairman said, many of us here have been to these hot spots--
Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Tunisia. I got briefed by the 
Libyan team in exile after Benghazi. And they deserve to be protected. 
This bill will do just that.
  I would like to thank my good friend Congressman Castro for his 
friendship and leadership on this issue, as well as Chairman Royce and 
Ranking Member Engel on this important legislation.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Castro), the author of the bill.
  Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Royce, Ranking 
Member Engel, subcommittee Ranking Member Sherman, also my colleague 
from Texas and the coauthor, Representative McCaul. I thank them for 
all of their hard work on this.
  Every day, diplomats work to advance the interests of the United 
States, often at embassies and consulates in the most dangerous pockets 
of the world. They risk their lives to be our Nation's frontline 
civilians and are faced with having to adapt to changing technologies 
that often come with security risks.
  As Members of Congress, and especially those who conduct oversight of 
the United States State Department, we must protect our diplomats who 
serve our Nation from any threats posed by evolving technology, 
including fitness trackers, for example, that expose location.
  That is why I joined my fellow Texan, Chairman  Michael McCaul, to 
introduce the Protecting Diplomats from Surveillance Through Consumer 
Devices Act. This bill requires the State Department to account for 
these devices in the security policies of U.S. embassies and consulates 
worldwide and update embassy and consulate security policies by 
addressing vulnerabilities associated with location-tracking consumer 
devices worn by diplomatic personnel.
  These frontline civilians risk their lives in service to the United 
States. As lawmakers, we have a responsibility to ensure these brave 
diplomats and development workers have the protections they deserve.
  I am glad to see this bill being considered on the House floor today, 
and I request and urge the support of all of my colleagues.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H.R. 4989 is commonsense legislation that will improve the safety of 
U.S. personnel overseas. I want to commend the chair and the ranking 
member for bringing this through our committee, and commend Mr. Castro 
of Texas and Mr. McCaul of Texas for their hard work in creating this 
legislation.
  This bill will ensure that the State Department is addressing the 
risks associated with consumer devices that can be used, in some cases, 
to track the locations of those who own them.
  This bill passed with a unanimous, bipartisan voice vote in our 
committee. I commend it to my colleagues. I will support this measure. 
I urge my colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Our diplomats serve in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. 
They advance U.S. interests overseas, and while they serve our Nation 
overseas, it is our job here to ensure that they have the information 
and resources that they need to stay safe. So I urge my colleagues to 
vote in favor of this timely bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4989, 
Protecting Diplomats from Surveillance Through Consumer Devices Act.
  H.R. 4989 directs the Department of State to: (1) establish a policy 
on the use of location-tracking consumer devices, including GPS-enabled 
devices, at U.S. diplomatic and consular facilities by U.S. government 
employees, contractors, locally employed staff, and members of other 
agencies deployed to or stationed at such facilities; and (2) submit a 
related report to Congress.
  This bill states that existing and new employees at such facilities 
shall, as a part of their security briefings, be informed of such 
policy and given instructions on the use of location-tracking consumer 
devices on and off facility premises.
  The State Department may coordinate policy formulation with other 
agencies whose employees are deployed to or stationed at U.S. 
diplomatic and consular facilities.
  The public release earlier this year of GPS tracking data from the 
American fitness company Strava revealed highly sensitive information 
on U.S. activities abroad, such as military base locations, jogging 
paths of personnel located at these bases and, in many cases, also 
identified paths with individual accounts.
  This data was collected from wearable electronic devices such as 
Fitbits and other technologies and presents a glaring security 
vulnerability that our adversaries may exploit to undermine our 
interests, thereby putting our personnel serving abroad at extreme 
risk.
  While the issue has most seriously affected U.S. military 
installations, in lieu of a policy on the use of these devices, State 
Department personnel remain at risk as well.
  As such, H.R. 4989 requires the Department of State to establish and 
disseminate a policy on the use of location-tracking consumer devices 
by diplomats and other employees at U.S. embassies and consular 
facilities outside the United States.
  This is a commonsense step to ensure we are doing all we can to 
protect our diplomatic personnel serving our nation abroad.
  Our enemies and adversaries work around the clock to undermine our 
interests.
  We should not make it any easier for them.
  I thank my colleague and good friend, Congressman Joaquin Castro, for 
introducing this important legislation.
  By passing H.R. 4989, we can help ensure the safety of our nation's 
dutiful diplomats.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for H.R. 4989.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Poe of Texas). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4989.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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