Measure Proposed for Tech Firms to Document and Hand Over Terror Suspects
In the wake of increasing concerns over the use of technology by terrorists, a new bill has been introduced in the US Senate. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) have proposed a legislation that requires electronic communication and remote computing service providers to report any known terrorist activity or credible threats to authorities.
The bill aims to enhance information sharing about terrorist threats, thereby improving national security and counterterrorism efforts. However, it does not mandate companies to monitor users or the content of communications. Instead, companies would only have to report when they have actual knowledge of facts or circumstances from which there is an apparent violation that involves distribution of information relating to explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction.
The bill could potentially lead to a legal fight over whether such reporting requirements violate free speech safeguards. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) has expressed his opposition to the bill, stating that it does not define "terrorist activity" to be reported, potentially leading to less reporting of terrorist activity.
This is not the first time that tech companies have been called upon to help combat terror threats. Last year, President Barack Obama urged high-tech companies to make it harder for terrorists to use technology for their purposes.
Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill (A.B. 587) into law, requiring social media corporations to produce semi-annual reports outlining their content policies related to anti-hate speech and misinformation.
The bill introduced by Feinstein and Burr is not the only legislation dealing with tech companies' role in combating terrorism. A Texas law, which had been halted, aimed to prevent content moderation choices from being protected by the US Constitution. However, a federal appeals court has overturned a lower court's judgment halting the Texas law, allowing it to proceed.
Recent reports have also highlighted the use of social media by terrorists as a communication and recruitment tool. Last week, Syed Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people and left 21 injured in a gun attack in a social service center in San Bernardino, California. Malik had pledged allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State group in a Facebook post.
In a more concerning development, the Wall Street Journal reported the first documented NFT created and spread by a terrorist sympathizer, praising Islamist militants for an attack on a Taliban position in Afghanistan.
As the landscape of terrorism continues to evolve, it is clear that tech companies will play an increasingly important role in the fight against terrorism. The Feinstein-Burr bill is just one example of the efforts being made to ensure that tech companies are doing their part in this crucial battle.
[1] https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3577 [2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/02/13/senate-introduces-bill-force-tech-companies-report-terrorist-activity/ [3] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-terrorism-idUSKBN1ZR24U [4] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/technology/senate-bill-companies-terrorist-activity.html [5] https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/13/senate-introduces-bill-forcing-tech-companies-to-report-terrorist-activity-284292
- The bill proposed by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Richard Burr, aiming to enhance national security against terrorist threats, might face challenges in terms of free speech safeguards, as hinted by Sen. Ron Wyden.
- In addition to the Feinstein-Burr bill, there are other policy-and-legislation efforts underway that address tech companies' role in combating terrorism, such as the Texas law that aims to prevent content moderation choices from being protected by the US Constitution.
