Chairman Garbarino, Rep. Pfluger Probe the Policies of Online Platforms for Identifying Potential Terrorist Activity After Kirk Assassination

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY) and Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX) sent letters to Discord, Twitch, Reddit, and GitHub, requesting information on each platform's policies and procedures for detecting and reporting extremist content and suspicious activity in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently investigating a Discord chat where the suspect allegedly confessed to the crime. Online platforms have been used in recent attacks involving extremist messaging and digital coordination.

In the letters, the Committee requests all documents and communications on mechanisms used to flag extremist content, escalate and share suspicious behavior, and to communicate with law enforcement. The request also includes a description of the actions that have been taken to enhance visibility into potential threats, as well as any internal reviews or audits that were conducted to identify vulnerabilities that domestic violent extremists may have exploited on the platforms. Read more in Semafor via Rachyl Jones.

In the letters, the members write, "The assassination of Mr. Charlie Kirk serves as a sobering reminder of the escalating threats facing our nation from violent extremists. These heinous and senseless acts of violence further expose the challenging and sometimes dangerous nature of online platforms that serve to foment extremism, leading to deadly real-world consequences. In furtherance of our ongoing investigation into domestic terrorism cases, the Committee is investigating how specific bad actors may use online platforms to facilitate radicalization, disseminate extremist content, and aid in individuals' planning efforts to conduct violent attacks within the United States. Accordingly, the Committee requests documents and information to facilitate its investigative and legislative objectives."

The members continue, "This pattern of digital coordination and extremist messaging was observed in other recent attacks: in January of this year, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar killed 15 people in New Orleans by driving a truck into a crowd, after publicly posting videos declaring support for ISIS and linking his attack to the group's broader ideological agenda. Also in January, a 17-year-old student at Antioch High School in Tennessee, who had reportedly been actively engaged with extremist content online through several platforms, fired multiple shots and killed a classmate in the school cafeteria. Similar extremist views were identified in videos posted online by the 23-year-old shooter who opened fire on Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis in August, killing two children and injuring 18 other worshippers in a case that FBI Director Patel referred to as 'an act of domestic terrorism motivated by a hate-filled ideology.' In July 2024, the then 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, reportedly used encrypted messaging accounts hosted on foreign platforms during the planning stages of his attack."

The members conclude, "This evolving threat underscores the importance of timely intervention and highlights the vital role digital platforms play in safeguarding national security. The Committee has convened hearings and roundtables with law enforcement, technology experts, and community organizations, all of which have underscored the critical importance of early detection and the shared responsibility of digital platforms in this effort. The Committee must hear directly from these platforms to better understand what is already being done, and what more can still be done, to prevent extremist violence in the United States from being orchestrated through these online channels."

Read the letter to Discord, the letter to Twitch, the letter to Reddit, and the letter to GitHub.

Background:

The Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence has been leading the House Committee on Homeland Security's efforts to examine the evolving threat landscape facing the United States from terrorist organizations and radicalized lone wolf actors.

This month, the Committee advanced Subcommittee Chairman Pfluger's "Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act," which would require DHS to conduct annual assessments on terrorism threats to the U.S. posed by terrorist organizations, like ISIS and al Qaeda, utilizing generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) applications for terroristic activity. Earlier this year, Subcommittee Chairman Pfluger also reintroduced the "Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act," legislation requiring DHS to conduct annual assessments on terrorism threats posed to the United States by terrorist organizations like ISIS, al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and others, utilizing foreign cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging applications like Telegram.

In March, the Subcommittee held a hearing to examine how foreign terrorist organizations use the internet and emerging technology to recruit, radicalize, and inspire attacks in the homeland.

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