Legislation introduced to address terror threats with cloud-based apps like TikTok

U.S. Reps. August Pfluger (R-TX) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) announced they had introduced legislation to thwart terror threats from cloud-based apps like TikTok.

Pfluger, chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement and Intelligence, said the legislation would require the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct annual assessments on terrorism threats posed to the U.S. by terrorist organizations using foreign, cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging applications.

“More than 20 years after 9/11, the advent of cloud-based technology has given terrorist groups even more tools to use in their pursuit of deadly chaos,” Pfluger said. “Foreign-controlled apps like TikTok and encrypted messaging platforms like Telegram have shined a disturbing light on the lengths America’s enemies will go to attack our way of life and radicalize young minds with violent extremist ideology, as well as the terrifying potency of their grotesque messages when disseminated on platforms with almost unlimited reach. Considering the heightened threat landscape created by terrorist organizations around the world, especially as we’ve seen just last October with the devastating terrorist attack in Israel, DHS must take steps to assess and address this threat before it’s too late.”

Apps like TikTok and Telegram have allowed their platforms to become a breeding ground for radical extremism, the Congressmen said. Terrorist organizations like Hamas, Hizballah, ISIS, Al-Qaeda and others use those apps to recruit new members, fundraise, provoke others to violence, and coordinate their activity. Since the Hamas’ October 7, 2023, the Congressmen said, terrorist brigades had utilized the apps to spread their content online and called for additional attacks against the U.S. and Israel.

“Advancements in foreign cloud-based messaging present new challenges in our work countering terrorism,” Panetta said. “This bipartisan legislation would ensure the Department of Homeland Security is properly monitoring these vulnerabilities and assessing the threats they pose to our national security. Better understanding how terrorist networks communicate is essential to stopping future attacks.”