I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8409 
To make certain modifications relating to the Social Media Data and Threat 
Analysis Center for the purpose of improving cooperative actions to 
detect and counter foreign influence operations, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 18, 2022 
Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 
A BILL 
To make certain modifications relating to the Social Media 
Data and Threat Analysis Center for the purpose of 
improving cooperative actions to detect and counter for-
eign influence operations, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Countering Foreign 
Malign Influence Act of 2022’’. 
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SEC. 2. MODIFICATIONS TO SOCIAL MEDIA DATA AND 
THREAT ANALYSIS CENTER. 
(a) FFRDC.—Paragraph (1) of subsection (c) of sec-
tion 5323 of the Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young 
Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 
2018, 2019, and 2020 (division E of Public Law 116– 
92; 50 U.S.C. 3369) is amended by inserting before the 
period at the end the following: ‘‘or a federally funded re-
search and development center’’. 
(b) FUNCTIONS.—Paragraph (2) of such subsection 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(2) FUNCTIONS.—The functions described in 
this paragraph are the following: 
‘‘(A) Acting as a convening and sponsoring 
authority for social media companies, other 
internet companies, third-party experts, non-
governmental organizations, data journalists, 
federally funded research and development cen-
ters, academic researchers, traditional media, 
and international counterparts, as appropriate, 
to collectively, cooperatively, and proactively 
identify, analyze, and counter the threats posed 
by internet-based foreign malign influence ac-
tivities on social media platforms and other af-
fected internet-based platforms. 
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‘‘(B) Facilitating tactical and strategic 
analysis of internet-based foreign malign influ-
ence activities, within and across the individual 
social media platforms or other affected public- 
facing online platforms, including with respect 
to— 
‘‘(i) hacking and leaking campaigns; 
‘‘(ii) coordinated inauthentic behavior; 
‘‘(iii) manipulation of social media al-
gorithms or search engine results; 
‘‘(iv) machine-manipulated media; 
‘‘(v) cut-out or proxy internet plat-
forms, blogs, or similar properties; 
‘‘(vi) fake, deceptive, or inauthentic 
online profiles, including accounts that 
consist mainly of automated actions (com-
monly referred to as ‘bots’); 
‘‘(vii) disinformation campaigns; and 
‘‘(viii) any other tactics assessed as 
supporting 
foreign 
malign 
influence 
through 
internet-based 
covert 
or 
undeclared means, and unlawful activities 
that fund or subsidize such operations. 
‘‘(C) Developing processes and best prac-
tices for sharing relevant information, indica-
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tors, and findings about internet-based foreign 
malign influence activities among elements of 
the United States Government and the indi-
vidual social media platforms and other public- 
facing internet-based platforms to inform threat 
analysis and provide timely warning of such for-
eign malign influence activities, working with 
the Office of the Director of National Intel-
ligence as appropriate. 
‘‘(D) Developing and making public cri-
teria for identifying which stakeholders qualify 
for inclusion in the activities of the Center, and 
inviting entities that fit the criteria to join or 
otherwise participate. 
‘‘(E) Determining jointly with social media 
companies and other public-facing internet- 
based platforms what categories of data and 
metadata related to indicators of internet-based 
foreign malign influence activities from their 
platforms and business operations will be made 
available for access and analysis by participants 
of the Center. 
‘‘(F) Developing and making public the 
criteria and standards for data handling, data 
security, and data privacy that must be met for 
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participants of the Center to access and analyze 
data relating to internet-based foreign malign 
influence activities within and across social 
media or other public-facing internet-based 
platforms, and to publish or otherwise use the 
results. 
‘‘(G) Developing and making public the 
ethical standards for— 
‘‘(i) investigation of internet-based 
foreign malign influence activities; 
‘‘(ii) the use of indicators, findings, or 
analyses relating to such activities; 
‘‘(iii) the protection of the privacy, 
civil liberties, and constitutionally pro-
tected activities of the customers and users 
of the social media platforms and public- 
facing internet-based platforms; and 
‘‘(iv) the protection the proprietary in-
formation of the social media companies 
and other affected internet-based plat-
forms. 
‘‘(H) Developing technical, contractual, 
and procedural controls to prevent misuse of 
data, including any necessary auditing proce-
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dures, compliance checks, and review mecha-
nisms. 
‘‘(I) Developing and making public criteria 
and conditions under which social media plat-
forms and other affected public-facing internet- 
based platforms shall proactively share with the 
appropriate elements of the United States Gov-
ernment data, metadata, or indicators per-
taining to assessed internet-based foreign ma-
lign influence activities, including such criteria 
and conditions that address— 
‘‘(i) the timeliness and consistency 
with which social media platforms or other 
affected public-facing internet-based plat-
forms shall share such data, metadata, or 
indicators (including with respect to real- 
time sharing); 
‘‘(ii) the categories of data, metadata, 
and indicators to be shared, including with 
respect to the activities specified in sub-
paragraph (B); and 
‘‘(iii) the protection of the privacy, 
civil liberties, and constitutionally pro-
tected activities of users and customers of 
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