[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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