HR 1212119th CongressIn Committee

Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act

Introduced: Feb 11, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with input from the Director of National Intelligence, to produce annual terrorism threat assessments for five years. These assessments would focus on threats posed by terrorist organizations that use foreign cloud-based messaging apps (such as TikTok, Telegram, WeChat, VKontakte, and others) to radicalize, recruit, or finance activities in the United States. The bill emphasizes analyzing recruitment/radicalization channels and online payment features, and it requires DHS to provide policy recommendations. Assessments would be coordinated with DHS privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties offices, posted in unclassified form (with possible classified annex), and followed by briefings to Congress. The act also directs DHS to share relevant information with state and local fusion centers to improve national security information sharing. Overall, the bill creates a formal, multi-year oversight and information-sharing framework centered on how foreign cloud-based messaging apps may enable terrorist activity.

Key Points

1Annual threat assessments: DHS, in coordination with the DNI, must produce an initial assessment within 180 days of enactment and then annually for five years, evaluating threats from terrorist organizations using foreign cloud-based messaging apps.
2Contents of the assessments: The first report must analyze how such apps facilitate radicalization and recruitment and examine online payment features that could support terrorist financing; it must include recommendations for addressing these threats.
3Privacy and civil liberties safeguards: Each assessment must be coordinated with DHS offices responsible for legal compliance and civil liberties, and may rely on existing products. Unclassified portions must be publicly posted; a classified annex can be included if needed to protect sources and methods.
4Congressional briefings: DHS must brief the appropriate congressional committees within 30 days after each assessment, with possible participation by other federal departments as determined.
5Information sharing with fusion centers: DHS must review and incorporate information from state/local fusion centers and ensure dissemination to those centers to improve national security intelligence sharing.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected:- U.S. homeland security and national security infrastructure (DHS and DNI), and the congressional committees overseeing security and intelligence.- Terrorist organizations using foreign cloud-based messaging apps, and individuals who may be targeted for recruitment or financing via these platforms.Secondary group/area affected:- State and local fusion centers that collect and analyze intelligence; public safety and local law enforcement partners who rely on shared information.- Privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties offices within DHS, and potentially impacted individuals whose data could be analyzed in the assessments.Additional impacts:- Increased monitoring and analysis of specific apps and platforms, with potential influence on policy discussions regarding platform oversight or user protections.- Resource and budgeting implications for DHS to conduct annual assessments and coordinate with intelligence communities, while balancing privacy and civil liberties considerations.- Greater transparency through public posting of unclassified report content, coupled with potential classified material for intelligence sources and methods.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Nov 18, 2025