Congress Plots Bipartisan Probe of Terror-Tied App Telegram

House lawmakers are pushing a bipartisan bill that would compel the Biden-Harris administration to document and assess all terrorism threats to the United States that are disseminated through foreign messaging apps such as Telegram, according to a copy of the bill obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

Rep. August Pfluger (R., Texas), the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, is slated to introduce the bill on Tuesday alongside Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D., Calif.). It would require the U.S. intelligence community to furnish annual reports about the terrorism landscape on popular social media applications, which have enabled hostile nations like Iran to disseminate their radical propaganda with few restrictions.

"The heightened terrorism threat landscape and the increasing utilization of foreign cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging applications by terrorist organizations represent a national security threat, and the challenges posed by such threats are not well understood," the bill states. The federal government "must take steps to recognize, assess, and address such threat, thereby reducing risks to the people of the United States."

The bill comes on the heels of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's (DNI) bombshell disclosure last month that Iran is employing a sophisticated online influence effort meant to sway the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. TikTok, Telegram, and a range of other Chinese-controlled social media networks are key to this influence operation, enabling Tehran to foment anti-Israel unrest and spread its radical propaganda onto American phones and computers.

Iran's terrorist proxies, including Hamas, also use Telegram to disseminate official statements, promote propaganda videos, and rally American protesters. Last month, anti-Israel radicals affiliated with the Palestinian Youth Movement used a Telegram channel titled "Satanyahu Unwelcoming Committee" to organize a demonstration that saw agitators release a horde of maggots inside Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Washington, D.C., hotel.

"Join us in ensuring the zionists have a sleepless night," the group posted on the app. "No rest for genocidal maniacs while they implement crimes against humanity against our people and occupy and colonize our land."

For Pfluger, such organizing shows how "the advent of cloud-based technology has given terrorist groups even more tools to use in their deadly pursuit of chaos."

"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," he said, "as well as the terrifying potency of their grotesque messages when disseminated on platforms with almost unlimited reach."

In addition to its election interference, Iran has been using social media to spread anti-Israel propaganda and bolster the terror groups waging war on the Jewish state. Applications such as TikTok are a central repository for anti-Semitic memes, videos, and diatribes, fueling the campus protest movement that rocked the country earlier this year.

Given the "heightened threat landscape" ahead of the 2024 election, the Department of Homeland Security "must take steps to assess and address this threat before it's too late," Pfluger said.

With early Democratic support from Panetta, the bill stands a good chance of passing through the House. Lawmakers from both parties have been scrambling in recent weeks to uncover further information about Iran's influence operations, with a separate group of House legislators pushing a bill to sanction any anti-Israel group that took cash from Tehran. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines disclosed last month that Iran is providing financial support for anti-Israel protesters in America and employing these networks to sow unrest across the country.

The Pfluger-Panetta bill aims to shine a new light on the social media apps fuelling global terrorism networks. Telegram, TikTok, and other similar apps have helped a range of jihadi groups spread their militant ideology.

As part of the bill, the DNI's office must work with DHS to provide annual public reports on the "terrorism threats to the United States posed by terrorist organizations utilizing foreign cloud-based mobile or desktop messaging applications." Intelligence community officials would also be required to brief Congress on their findings.

The bill covers popular apps Telegram, TikTok, and WeChat, as well as lesser-known foreign platforms like Weibo, Zapya, Douyin, and Vkontakte. The majority of the apps listed are either controlled by China or linked to Russia, which is also working to interfere in the upcoming election.

"Advancements in foreign cloud-based messaging present new challenges in our work countering terrorism," Panetta said in a statement.  "Properly monitoring these vulnerabilities and assessing the threats they pose to our national security" is a key step toward "better understanding how terrorist networks communicate."

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