Internet Freedom and Operations Act of 2022 or INFO Act of 2022
This bill directs the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development to continue efforts to secure internet freedom globally. The bill also directs the U.S. Agency for Global Media to obtain open-source tools and techniques to securely distribute digital content, as well as to facilitate audience access to websites censored by foreign governments.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9397 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9397
To promote global internet freedom.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 1, 2022
Ms. Spanberger (for herself, Mr. Stewart, and Mr. Keating) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To promote global internet freedom.
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 ``Internet Freedom and Operations Act
of 2022'' or ``INFO Act of 2022''.
SEC. 2. GLOBAL INTERNET FREEDOM.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) More than 3,000,000,000 people use the internet around
the world every day to access information.
(2) Authoritarian and repressive governments routinely use
internet access as a means of suppressing information sharing
and communications between people, civil society organizations,
and journalists.
(3) Following the arrest and subsequent murder of a 22-
year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, while in the custody of Iran's
``morality police'', the government imposed severe internet and
mobile network restrictions, in an attempt to isolate and
intimidate its people.
(4) Under the cover of such internet blackouts, the Iranian
Government has intensified a brutal crackdown on peaceful
protestors, killing hundreds and arresting thousands more.
(5) Following its illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Russian
Government has sought to restrict access to independent
reporting and eliminate free speech by forcing the closure of
independent press outlets and banning social media websites.
(6) Under this expanding policy of state censorship and
surveillance, the Russian Government has blocked over 3,300
websites, including both social media sites such as Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter, as well as the BBC, Associated Press,
and other international news outlets.
(7) This authoritarian abuse of technology has dramatically
reduced access to independent information and has increased the
Kremlin's control over the daily lives of the Russian people
through secret monitoring systems designed to unmask and
surveil government critics and democracy activists.
(8) The United States has a commitment to promote and
uphold a free and open internet globally.
(9) The demand for internet freedom software, tools, and
technology has increased exponentially in recent years as
authoritarian regimes have pursued policies of censorship and
surveillance.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the United States should provide direct assistance to
technology and communications entities engaged in internet
freedom programs in countries restricting internet access and
repressing democratic and civil society; and
(2) the United States should help grow the capacity of
these entities to respond rapidly to censorship events by
supporting the development, licensing, and launch of platforms
that enable direct internet access and circumvent authoritarian
governments' restrictions.
(c) Statement of Policy.--It is the policy of the United States to
promote internet freedom through programs of the Department of State
and the United States Agency for International Development (referred to
in this section as ``USAID'') that preserve and expand the internet as
an open, global space for freedom of expression and association, which
shall be prioritized for countries--
(1) whose governments restrict freedom of expression on the
internet; and
(2) that are important to the national interest of the
United States.
(d) Purpose and Coordination With Other Programs.--Global internet
freedom programming under this section--
(1) shall be coordinated with other United States foreign
assistance programs that promote democracy and support the
efforts of civil society--
(A) to counter the development of repressive
internet-related laws and regulations, including
countering threats to internet freedom at international
organizations;
(B) to combat violence against bloggers and other
civil society activists who utilize the internet; and
(C) to enhance digital security training and
capacity building for democracy activists;
(2) shall seek to assist efforts--
(A) to research key threats to internet freedom;
(B) to continue the development of technologies
that provide or enhance access to the internet,
including circumvention tools that bypass internet
blocking, filtering, and other censorship techniques
used by authoritarian governments; and
(C) to maintain the technological advantage of the
Federal Government over the censorship techniques
described in subparagraph (B); and
(3) shall be incorporated into country assistance and
democracy promotion strategies, as appropriate.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated for fiscal year 2023--
(1) $75,000,000 to the Department of State and USAID, which
shall be used to continue efforts to promote internet freedom
globally, and shall be matched, to the maximum extent
practicable, by sources other than the Federal Government,
including the private sector; and
(2) $49,000,000 to the United States Agency for Global
Media (referred to in this section as the ``USAGM'') and its
grantees, which shall be used for internet freedom and
circumvention technologies that are designed--
(A) for open-source tools and techniques to
securely develop and distribute digital content
produced by the USAGM and its grantees;
(B) to facilitate audience access to such digital
content on websites that are censored;
(C) to coordinate the distribution of such digital
content to targeted regional audiences; and
(D) to promote and distribute such tools and
techniques, including digital security techniques.
(f) United States Agency for Global Media Activities.--
(1) Annual certification.--For any new tools or techniques
authorized under subsection (d)(2), the Chief Executive Officer
of the USGAM, in consultation with the President of the Open
Technology Fund (referred to in this subsection as the ``OTF'')
and relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall submit an
annual certification to the appropriate congressional
committees that verifies they--
(A) have evaluated the risks and benefits of such
new tools or techniques; and
(B) have established safeguards to minimize the use
of such new tools or techniques for illicit purposes.
(2) Information sharing.--The Secretary of State may not
direct programs or policy of the USAGM or the OTF, but may
share any research and development with relevant Federal
departments and agencies for the exclusive purposes of--
(A) sharing information, technologies, and best
practices; and
(B) assessing the effectiveness of such
technologies.
(3) United states agency for global media.--The Chief
Executive Officer of the USAGM, in consultation with the
President of the OTF, shall--
(A) coordinate international broadcasting programs
and incorporate such programs into country broadcasting
strategies, as appropriate;
(B) solicit project proposals through an open,
transparent, and competitive application process,
including by seeking input from technical and subject
matter experts; and
(C) support internet circumvention tools and
techniques for audiences in countries that are
strategic priorities for the OTF, in accordance with
USAGM's annual language service prioritization review.
(g) Usagm Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Chief Executive Office of the USAGM shall
submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that
describes--
(1) as of the date of the report--
(A) the full scope of internet freedom programs
within the USAGM, including--
(i) the efforts of the Office of Internet
Freedom; and
(ii) the efforts of the Open Technology
Fund;
(B) the capacity of internet censorship
circumvention tools supported by the Office of Internet
Freedom and grantees of the Open Technology Fund that
are available for use by individuals in foreign
countries seeking to counteract censors; and
(C) any barriers to the provision of the efforts
described in clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (A),
including access to surge funding; and
(2) successful examples from the Office of Internet Freedom
and Open Technology Fund involving--
(A) responding rapidly to internet shutdowns in
closed societies; and
(B) ensuring uninterrupted circumvention services
for USAGM entities to promote internet freedom within
repressive regimes.
(h) Joint Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the Administrator of
USAID shall jointly submit a report, which may include a classified
annex, to the appropriate congressional committees that describes--
(1) as of the date of the report--
(A) the full scope of internet freedom programs
within the Department of State and USAID, including--
(i) Department circumvention efforts; and
(ii) USAID efforts to support internet
infrastructure;
(B) the capacity of internet censorship
circumvention tools supported by the Federal Government
that are available for use by individuals in foreign
countries seeking to counteract censors; and
(C) any barriers to provision of the efforts
enumerated in clauses (i) and (ii) of subsection
(g)(1)(A), including access to surge funding; and
(2) any new resources needed to provide the Federal
Government with greater capacity to provide and boost internet
access--
(A) to respond rapidly to internet shutdowns in
closed societies; and
(B) to provide internet connectivity to foreign
locations where the provision of additional internet
access service would promote freedom from repressive
regimes.
(i) Security Audits.--Before providing any support for open source
technologies under this section, such technologies must undergo
comprehensive security audits to ensure that such technologies are
secure and have not been compromised in a manner that is detrimental to
the interest of the United States or to the interests of individuals
and organizations benefitting from programs supported by such funding.
(j) Surge.--
(1) Authorization of appropriations.--Subject to paragraph
(2), there is authorized to be appropriated, in addition to
amounts otherwise made available for such purposes, $2,500,000
to support internet freedom programs in closed societies,
including programs that--
(A) are carried out in crisis situations by vetted
entities that are already engaged in internet freedom
programs;
(B) involve circumvention tools; or
(C) increase the overseas bandwidth for companies
that received Federal funding during the previous
fiscal year.
(2) Certification.--Amounts authorized to be appropriated
pursuant to paragraph (1) may not be expended until the
Secretary of State has certified to the appropriate
congressional committees, the Committee on Appropriations of
the Senate, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives that the use of such funds is in the national
interest of the United States.
(k) Definitions.--In this section--
(1) the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate;
(2) the term ``internet censorship circumvention tool''
means a software application or other tool that an individual
can use to evade foreign government restrictions on internet
access; and
(3) the term ``vetted entity'' means a private company or
organization that has an established contractual relationship
or is in the process of becoming a new vendor for internet
freedom programs of USAGM.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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