Countering Foreign Malign Influence Act of 2022
Latest action (18 Jul 2022): Introduced
What this bill does
H.R. 8409, the Countering Foreign Malign Influence Act of 2022, would amend an existing law—the Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act—to modify the operations of the Social Media Data and Threat Analysis Center. The bill would allow the Center to be operated as a federally funded research and development center and would expand and rewrite its list of official functions. These functions include convening social media companies, internet companies, researchers, journalists, and international partners to jointly analyze foreign influence threats; developing methods to detect activities such as hacking-and-leak operations, coordinated inauthentic behavior, algorithm manipulation, fake accounts, and disinformation campaigns; setting public criteria for participation, data-sharing, privacy protection, and ethical standards; creating safeguards against misuse of shared data; and establishing a searchable archive of information on foreign influence operations.
The bill primarily affects the Center's government operators, participating social media and internet companies, researchers, and the broader public interest in countering foreign disinformation, by clarifying how government and industry cooperate on threat detection while addressing privacy and civil liberties protections.
The bill was introduced on July 18, 2022, by Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney and referred to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. It did not receive a vote before the 117th Congress ended, so it did not become law.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
Foreign Malign Influence Act of 2022
This bill modifies authorities related to the Social Media Data and Threat Analysis Center. For example, it increases the number of types of entities and organizations participating in the center, it increases the scope of activities which the center is to facilitate, and it requires the center to develop and make public criteria for examining social media which are consistent with civil liberties protections.
Common questions
- What does H.R. 8409 do?
- H.R. 8409, the Countering Foreign Malign Influence Act of 2022, would amend an existing law—the Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act—to modify the operations of the Social Media Data and Threat Analysis Center. The bill would allow the Center to be operated as a federally funded research and development center and would expand and rewrite its list of official functions. These functions include convening social media companies, internet companies, researchers, journalists, and international partners to jointly analyze foreign influence threats; developing methods to detect activities such as hacking-and-leak operations, coordinated inauthentic behavior, algorithm manipulation, fake accounts, and disinformation campaigns; setting public criteria for participation, data-sharing, privacy protection, and ethical standards; creating safeguards against misuse of shared data; and establishing a searchable archive of information on foreign influence operations. The bill primarily affects the Center's government operators, participating social media and internet companies, researchers, and the broader public interest in countering foreign disinformation, by clarifying how government and industry cooperate on threat detection while addressing privacy and civil liberties protections. The bill was introduced on July 18, 2022, by Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney and referred to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. It did not receive a vote before the 117th Congress ended, so it did not become law.
- Has H.R. 8409 become law?
- Not yet. As of 18 Jul 2022, H.R. 8409 is introduced.
- Who sponsored H.R. 8409?
- H.R. 8409 was sponsored by Rep. Sean Maloney [D-NY18, 2013-2022] (Democrat-NY), with 0 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on H.R. 8409?
- Introduced (18 Jul 2022).
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