Title: Protecting Against Public Safety Disinformation Act
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Protecting Against Public Safety Disinformation Act
This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take specified steps to combat disinformation operations by malicious foreign actors on domestic preparedness.
Specifically, the DHS (1) Office of Intelligence and Analysis, on an onging basis, shall assess the impact of disinformation operations by malicious foreign actors on domestic preparedness for and response to terrorism and other homeland security threats; and (2) Science and Technology Directorate shall develop and recommend research-based methods for identifying and countering such operations and report to Congress.
DHS is authorized to share the research and recommendations with state, local, tribal, and territorial officials, and with public health and other officials.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7282 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7282

  To require the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis of the 
  Department of Homeland Security to assess, on an ongoing basis, the 
potential terrorism implications of malign disinformation operations on 
domestic preparedness for and collective response to terrorism or other 
           homeland security threats, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 2020

 Ms. Underwood (for herself, Mr. Payne, Mrs. Demings, and Mr. Thompson 
 of Mississippi) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis of the 
  Department of Homeland Security to assess, on an ongoing basis, the 
potential terrorism implications of malign disinformation operations on 
domestic preparedness for and collective response to terrorism or other 
           homeland security threats, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Against Public Safety 
Disinformation Act''.

SEC. 2. TERRORISM THREAT ASSESSMENT AND RESEARCH REGARDING MALIGN 
              DISINFORMATION OPERATIONS.

    (a) Threat Assessment.--
            (1) In general.--The Under Secretary for Intelligence and 
        Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security shall, on an 
        ongoing basis and in consultation with appropriate Federal 
        partners, develop and disseminate to State, local, Tribal, and 
        territorial officials, including officials from law 
        enforcement, public health, fire and emergency medical 
        services, and emergency management agencies, assessments of the 
        potential terrorism implications of malign disinformation 
        operations carried out by terrorist or foreign malicious actors 
        on domestic preparedness for and collective response to 
        terrorism or other homeland security threats.
            (2) Contents.--The terrorism assessments of malign 
        disinformation operations required under paragraph (1) shall 
        consider the following:
                    (A) Empirical data on malign disinformation 
                operations, including the following:
                            (i) Topics subject to such operations.
                            (ii) Tactics used in such operations.
                            (iii) Characteristics and duration of such 
                        operations.
                            (iv) Information on such terrorist or 
                        foreign malicious actors carrying out such 
                        operations.
                    (B) Details regarding the potential terrorism 
                implications of such operations on domestic 
                preparedness for and collective response to terrorism 
                or other homeland security threats.
            (3) Documentation.--The Under Secretary for Intelligence 
        and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security shall 
        maintain documentation reflecting the basis for a determination 
        that certain information that was used in a certain manner for 
        a certain purpose that resulted in certain risks or threats 
        satisfies the definition of a malign disinformation operation.
            (4) Form.--The Under Secretary for Intelligence and 
        Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security shall submit to 
        the appropriate congressional committees the terrorism 
        assessments of malign disinformation operations required under 
        paragraph (1). Such assessments may be submitted in classified 
        form, but--
                    (A) shall include unclassified summaries; and
                    (B) may include unclassified annexes, if 
                appropriate.
    (b) Research.--
            (1) In general.--The Under Secretary for Science and 
        Technology of the Department of Homeland Security, in 
        consultation with the Under Secretary for Intelligence and 
        Analysis, the Privacy Officer, and the Officer for Civil Rights 
        and Civil Liberties of the Department, shall conduct research 
        to aid in the identification of malign disinformation 
        operations carried out by terrorist or foreign malicious actors 
        by studying documented malign disinformation operations that 
        widely reached Americans that had implications for the 
        preparedness for and response to terrorism or other homeland 
        security threats. Such research shall--
                    (A) examine different patterns and tactics of 
                malign disinformation operations to identify unique 
                signatures; and
                    (B) identify the factors that contribute to 
                effective malign disinformation operations.
            (2) Counter-approaches.--Together with the research 
        required under paragraph (1), the Under Secretary for Science 
        and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security shall 
        develop recommendations for approaches to counter malign 
        disinformation operations described in such paragraph.
            (3) Availability.--The Secretary of Homeland Security is 
        authorized to share the research and recommendations for 
        counter approaches conducted and developed pursuant to 
        paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively, with State, local, 
        Tribal, and territorial officials, including officials from law 
        enforcement, public health, fire and emergency medical 
        services, and emergency management agencies, as well as with 
        appropriate Federal partners.
            (4) Submission.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 18 months after the 
                date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary 
                for Science and Technology of the Department of 
                Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee on 
                Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and 
                the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
                Affairs of the Senate the results of the research and 
                recommendations for counter approaches conducted and 
                developed pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2), 
                respectively.
                    (B) Form.--Results of the research conducted 
                pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in 
                unclassified form, but may include classified annexes, 
                as appropriate. Recommendations developed pursuant to 
                paragraph (2) shall be submitted in unclassified form.
    (c) Malign Disinformation Operation Defined.--In this section, the 
term ``malign disinformation operation'' means false information 
deliberately disseminated by terrorists or foreign malicious actors to 
misinform the American public in a way that risks undermining domestic 
preparedness for and collective response to terrorism or other homeland 
security threats.
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