I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1543 
To provide authorities to prohibit the provision of services by social media 
platforms to certain individuals and entities on the Specially Designated 
Nationals List and senior officials of governments of a state sponsor 
of terrorism. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 3, 2021 
Mr. BARR (for himself, Mr. BANKS, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. 
WALTZ, Mr. MOONEY, Mr. RESCHENTHALER, Mr. POSEY, Mr. STEUBE, 
Mr. DESJARLAIS, Mr. MURPHY of North Carolina, Mr. KELLY of Mis-
sissippi, Mr. BAIRD, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. TURNER, Mr. JACKSON, Mr. 
KELLER, Mr. CARL, Mr. ROSE, Mr. TIFFANY, Mrs. MCCLAIN, Mr. 
BABIN, Mr. STEIL, Mr. BOST, Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana, Mrs. 
HARTZLER, Mr. JACOBS of New York, Mrs. LESKO, Mr. LOUDERMILK, 
Mr. DUNN, Mr. NORMAN, Mr. CLYDE, Mr. CAWTHORN, Mr. ROUZER, Mr. 
MCKINLEY, Ms. TENNEY, Mr. PFLUGER, Mr. MANN, Mr. STAUBER, Mr. 
BUDD, Mrs. CAMMACK, Mr. ROY, Mr. GOODEN of Texas, and Mr. 
LAMALFA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To provide authorities to prohibit the provision of services 
by social media platforms to certain individuals and enti-
ties on the Specially Designated Nationals List and sen-
ior officials of governments of a state sponsor of ter-
rorism. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘No Social Media Ac-
counts for Terrorists or State Sponsors of Terrorism Act 
of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Despite having one of his Twitter accounts 
suspended, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah 
Ali Khamanei, a Specially Designated Global Ter-
rorist by the Department of the Treasury, and the 
leader of the world’s leading State Sponsor of Ter-
rorism, has multiple social media accounts on Twit-
ter and Instagram. The Supreme Leader has used 
his accounts to threaten violence against Americans, 
support the destruction of the State of Israel, pro-
mote conspiracy theories and disinformation regard-
ing COVID–19 vaccines, and incite anti-Semitism on 
a number of occasions. 
(2) The Foreign Minister of Iran, Javad Zarif, 
a senior official of a State Sponsor of Terrorism, has 
a number of social media accounts on Twitter, 
Instagram, and other platforms. On January 2, 
2021, Zarif tweeted an anti-Semitic conspiracy the-
ory that Israel was plotting attacks on Americans in 
Iraq. 
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(3) The President of the Syria, Bashar al- 
Assad, responsible for the brutal killing of half a 
million of his own people, and the President of a 
State Sponsor of Terrorism, has multiple social 
media accounts on Twitter and Instagram. He has 
used his accounts on social media to whitewash and 
promote his regime, and promote hatred against the 
United States and Israel. 
(4) The President of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, 
who heads a regime responsible for multiple gross 
violations of human rights, and which is a State 
Sponsor of Terrorism, has an account on Twitter 
representing the official Cuban Presidency. He has 
used his account on social media to promote global 
communism, anti-Americanism, and whitewash the 
Cuban regime’s human rights abuses. 
(5) Terrorist organizations and entities sanc-
tioned for terrorism under Executive Order 13224, 
including the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard 
Corps 
(IRGC), 
Hezbollah, 
Kata’ib 
Hezbollah, 
Hamas, and Asa’ib ahl al-Haq, have a number of so-
cial 
media 
accounts 
on 
Twitter, 
Facebook, 
Instagram, and YouTube. 
(6) Social media platforms make a profit on ac-
counts provided and maintained to individuals and 
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entities sanctioned for terrorism through the sale of 
advertisements which are viewed by such sanctioned 
individuals through their accounts. 
(7) Economic sanctions prohibiting the provi-
sion of services to individuals and entities sanctioned 
for terrorism should apply to social media platforms, 
while still supporting the free flow of information 
and maintaining the important principle that infor-
mation should remain free of sanctions. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORITIES TO PROHIBIT THE PROVISION OF 
SERVICES BY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO 
CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS AND ENTITIES ON 
THE 
SPECIALLY 
DESIGNATED 
NATIONALS 
LIST AND SENIOR OFFICIALS OF GOVERN-
MENTS OF A STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM. 
(a) AUTHORITIES
UNDER
THE
INTERNATIONAL 
EMERGENCY ECONOMIC POWERS ACT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 203 of the Inter-
national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
U.S.C. 1702) is amended— 
(A) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub-
section (d); and 
(B) by inserting after subsection (b) the 
following: 
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‘‘(c)(1) Notwithstanding subsection (b) and except as 
provided in paragraph (2), the authority granted to the 
President by this section does include the authority to reg-
ulate or prohibit the provision by a provider of a social 
media platform of a covered service to— 
‘‘(A) an individual or entity who, pursuant to 
the exercise of authorities under part 594 of title 31, 
Code of Federal Regulations, is on the list of spe-
cially designated nationals and blocked persons 
maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control 
of the Department of the Treasury, if such provider 
knew or should have known that such individual or 
entity was on such list and that such provider was 
providing such service to such individual or entity; 
or 
‘‘(B) an individual who is a senior official of a 
government of a state sponsor of terrorism, if such 
provider knew or should have known that such indi-
vidual was such a senior official and that such pro-
vider was providing such service to such individual. 
‘‘(2) The authority granted to the President by this 
section does not include the authority to regulate or pro-
hibit the provision by a provider of a social media platform 
of a covered service to an individual who is a senior official 
of a government of a state sponsor of terrorism described 
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in paragraph (1)(B) solely for legitimate emergency alert 
purposes. 
‘‘(3) In this subsection— 
‘‘(A) the term ‘covered service’— 
‘‘(i) means, with respect to a provider of a 
social media platform, any service provided by 
the provider through the platform, including a 
service that is publicly available and free of 
charge (including permitting an individual or 
entity to create or maintain an account or pro-
file); and 
‘‘(ii) does not include the ability of an indi-
vidual or entity to— 
‘‘(I) access the platform without an 
account or profile; or 
‘‘(II) send or receive private commu-
nications on the platform; 
‘‘(B) the term ‘social media platform’— 
‘‘(i) means a website or other internet me-
dium, including a mobile application, that— 
‘‘(I) permits an individual or entity to 
create an account or profile for the pur-
pose of generating, sharing, and viewing 
user-generated content through such ac-
count or profile; 
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‘‘(II) enables one or more users to 
generate content that can be viewed by 
other users of the medium; and 
‘‘(III) enables users to view content 
generated by other users of the medium; 
and 
‘‘(ii) does not include— 
‘‘(I) any such website or other inter-
net medium that serves fewer than 
100,000 users who access their account or 
profile at least once a month; 
‘‘(II) an email program, email dis-
tribution list, or multi-person text message 
group; 
‘‘(III) a website or other internet me-
dium that is primarily for the purpose of 
internet commerce; 
‘‘(IV) a software application (includ-
ing a mobile application) used solely to 
communicate with others through instant 
messages, audio calls, video calls, or any 
combination thereof; or 
‘‘(V) a website or other internet me-
dium the primary purpose of which is— 
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‘‘(aa) to allow users to post prod-
uct reviews, business reviews, or travel 
information and reviews; or 
‘‘(bb) to provide emergency alert 
services; 
‘‘(C) the term ‘senior official’, with respect to 
the government of a state sponsor of terrorism, 
means— 
‘‘(i) the head of state; 
‘‘(ii) the head of government; 
‘‘(iii) the Supreme Leader; 
‘‘(iv) a member of the cabinet; 
‘‘(v) any other high ranking official in the 
defense, security, or foreign affairs apparatus of 
the government; or 
‘‘(vi) any other official which the President 
determines to be a ‘senior official’ for purposes 
of this subparagraph; and 
‘‘(D) the term ‘state sponsor of terrorism’ 
means a country the government of which the Sec-
retary of State determines has repeatedly provided 
support for international terrorism pursuant to— 
‘‘(i) section 1754(c)(1)(A) of the Export 
Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 
4318(c)(1)(A)); 
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‘‘(ii) section 620A of the Foreign Assist-
ance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2371); 
‘‘(iii) section 40 of the Arms Export Con-
trol Act (22 U.S.C. 2780); or 
‘‘(iv) any other provision of law.’’. 
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 
by this subsection shall take effect on the date that 
is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
(b) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
President shall, except as provided in paragraph (2), 
prohibit the provision by a provider of a social media 
platform of a covered service to— 
(A) an individual or entity who, pursuant 
to the exercise of authorities under part 594 of 
title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, is on the 
list of specially designated nationals and 
blocked persons maintained by the Office of 
Foreign Assets Control of the Department of 
the Treasury, if such provider knew or should 
have known that such individual or entity was 
on such list and that such provider was pro-
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viding such service to such individual or entity; 
or 
(B) an individual who is a senior official of 
a government of a state sponsor of terrorism, if 
such provider knew or should have known that 
such individual was such a senior official and 
that such provider was providing such service to 
such individual. 
(2) EXCEPTION.—The authority granted to the 
President by this subsection does not include the au-
thority to regulate or prohibit the provision by a pro-
vider of a social media platform of a covered service 
to an individual who is a senior official of a govern-
ment of a state sponsor of terrorism described in 
paragraph (1)(B) solely for legitimate emergency 
alert purposes. 
(3) WAIVER.—The President may waive the 
prohibition required by this subsection with respect 
to an individual or entity if the President certifies to 
the appropriate congressional committees that such 
a waiver is in the national security interests of the 
United States. 
(4) PENALTIES.—The penalties provided for in 
subsections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the Inter-
national Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
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U.S.C. 1705) shall apply to a person that violates, 
attempts to violate, conspires to violate, or causes a 
violation of regulations promulgated to carry out 
this subsection or the sanctions imposed pursuant to 
this subsection to the same extent that such pen-
alties apply to a person that commits an unlawful 
act described in section 206(a) of that Act. 
(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) the Department of the Treasury and the 
Department of State should encourage the free flow 
of information in Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, 
and other countries controlled by authoritarian re-
gimes in order to counter such regimes’ repression 
of their peoples; and 
(2) in order to facilitate the free flow of infor-
mation in such countries, in implementing this Act 
and the amendments made by this Act, the Depart-
ment of Treasury should ensure that consumer com-
munication technologies, as well as tools to cir-
cumvent government censorship, are available to civil 
society and democratic activists in such countries. 
(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this Act 
or any amendment made by this Act— 
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(1) may be construed to restrict the ability of 
the general populations of Iran, Syria, North Korea, 
Cuba, and other countries controlled by authori-
tarian regimes to create or maintain accounts or 
profiles on social media platforms for individuals or 
entities not listed in paragraph (1) of subsection (c) 
of the International Emergency Economic Powers 
Act (50 U.S.C. 1702), as added by subsection (a) of 
this section; and 
(2) may be construed to restrict or prohibit pri-
vate communications. 
(e) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treas-
ury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall sub-
mit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
on— 
(1) the status of sanctions imposed pursuant to 
subsection (b), including the impact of such sanc-
tions on the sanctioned individuals and entities; and 
(2) efforts taken to facilitate the free flow of in-
formation in Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, and 
other countries controlled by authoritarian regimes 
and access to communications technologies by civil 
society and democratic activists in such countries. 
(f) REGULATORY AUTHORITY.— 
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(1) IN
GENERAL.—The President shall, not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, prescribe regulations as necessary for 
the implementation of this Act and the amendments 
made by this Act. 
(2) NOTIFICATION
TO
CONGRESS.—No later 
than 10 days before the prescription of regulations 
under subsection (1), the President shall notify the 
appropriate congressional committees regarding the 
proposed regulations and the provisions this Act and 
the amendments made by this Act that the regula-
tions are implementing. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 
the Committee on Financial Services of the 
House of Representatives; and 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 
and the Committee on Banking of the Senate. 
(2) COVERED SERVICE; SENIOR OFFICIAL; SO-
CIAL MEDIA PLATFORM; STATE SPONSOR OF TER-
RORISM.—The terms ‘‘covered service’’, ‘‘senior offi-
cial’’, ‘‘social media platform’’, and ‘‘state sponsor of 
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terrorism’’ have the meanings given the terms in 
subsection (c) of section 203 of the International 
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702), 
as added by subsection (a) of this section. 
Æ 
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