Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) launched this week an initiative designed to aid in combating Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) utilizing social media platforms to recruit and raise funds with cryptocurrencies.
Gottheimer said the “Online Arsenal to Combat Foreign Terrorist Organizations” includes new legislation to hold social media companies accountable with financial and criminal penalties, aggressive action against FTOs utilizing cryptocurrency for terrorist financing, and enacting bipartisan legislation to combat terrorist propaganda on social media.
“Nineteen years ago this week, we lost nearly 3,000 Americans — including more than 400 firefighters, police, EMS, and other first responders who ran into the towers — true patriots, who, as ever, put others ahead of themselves and their families,” Gottheimer said. “Now, as we’ve seen in recent years, these threats of terror against Americans and our homeland continue to evolve. We now have a constant spread of violent extremism, disinformation, foreign interference, and hate online that’s undermining our democracy — and these forces continue to use the platforms provided by U.S.-based social media companies to spread hate and terrorist propaganda and recruit new members.”
Gottheimer said the FTO efforts have grown more sophisticated, using digital assets such as cryptocurrencies to finance attacks.
“The strategies we utilize to combat terrorism have changed significantly in the last 19 years with the emergence and evolution of social media,” Jared M. Maples, director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP) said. “NJOHSP has found both domestic and foreign terrorists have increased their activity online and are employing similar tactics to recruit, fundraise, and inspire attacks. My office continues to educate the public on these threats with intelligence products like our latest Terrorism Threat Assessment.”