Part ofterrorism →

FEDERALhearing transcript

High Impact

Congressional Hearing: Terrorist Use of Social Media

Original title: THE EVOLUTION OF TERRORIST PROPAGANDA: THE PARIS ATTACK AND SOCIAL MEDIA

January 1, 2015

terrorism social media national security propaganda internet regulation foreign policy

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

The Frame

What this does

The hearing explores the legal and policy boundaries regarding whether social media companies are liable for hosting content from s under U.S. law.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Social Media Companies

These companies face potential legal scrutiny regarding their liability for content posted by designated terrorist organizations on their platforms.

Foreign Terrorist Organizations

These groups are the subject of the investigation regarding their use of digital platforms for recruitment and fundraising.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2015.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This hearing transcript documents a 2015 House Subcommittee meeting regarding how terrorist organizations use social media platforms for recruitment, radicalization, and fundraising. The committee examined whether the presence of terrorist content on American social media platforms constitutes a violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act's prohibition on providing to foreign terrorist organizations.

Key Facts

The hearing was held on January 27, 2015, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act prohibits providing material support or resources, including communication services, to designated foreign terrorist organizations.
The subcommittee investigated whether social media companies hosting terrorist propaganda are in violation of U.S. law.
The Department of Justice previously declined to provide a definitive answer on whether social media companies violate the law by hosting terrorist content.
Terrorist groups identified as using social media include ISIS and the Taliban.
The hearing addressed the use of social media for recruitment, radicalization, propaganda, and fundraising.

Why It Matters

The hearing explores the legal and policy boundaries regarding whether social media companies are liable for hosting content from s under U.S. law.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main legal question discussed in this hearing?

The committee is questioning whether social media companies that host content from s are violating the law against providing '' to those groups.

Has the Department of Justice clarified if social media companies are breaking the law?

No. According to the Chairman, the Department of Justice refused to provide a definitive answer in 2012, stating they could not rule on the matter in the abstract.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Early Congressional Scrutiny of Social Media

This 2015 hearing highlights that Congressional concern regarding social media's role in radicalization predates many of the major legislative debates on Section 230 and platform liability.

Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade

Connected Entities

personMark Wallace“CEO of Counter Extremism Project, witness”Map →

personRebecca MacKinnon“Director of Ranking Digital Rights at New America, witness”Map →

personJ.M. Berger“Author, witness”Map →

personTed Poe“Chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade”Map →

personEvan Kohlmann“CIO of Flashpoint Partners, witness”Map →

organizationSubcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade“House subcommittee conducting the hearing”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance75
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy65
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment20
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz10
Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools