Skip to content
  • MyNewMarkets.com
  • Claims Journal
  • Insurance Journal TV
  • Academy of Insurance
  • Carrier Management
Insurance Journal - Property Casualty Industry News

Featured Stories

  • Lengthy Government Shutdown to Impact Insurers
  • FEMA, Customs and Border Protection Staff Data Stolen
  • Articles
  • Jobs
  • Markets

Current Magazine

current magazine
  • Read Online
  • Subscribe
  • Login
  • Front Page
    • National
    • International
    • Most Popular
    • Magazine
    • Forums
    • Blogs
    • Videos/Podcasts
    • Newsletters
  • News
    • Most Popular
    • National
    • International
    • East
    • Midwest
    • South Central
    • Southeast
    • West
  • Magazines
  • Research
  • Directories
  • Jobs
  • Features
    • Events
    • Forums
    • Market Directories
    • Quotes
    • Polls
    • Rankings & Awards
    • Insurance Giving Back
  • Subscribe

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube Must Report Terrorist Activity: Senate Bill

July 9, 2015
Email This Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Article
  • 2 Comments

Social media operators such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube would have to notify federal authorities of online “terrorist activity,” according to the text of a bill approved by the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee and seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

The types of communication include postings related to “explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction,” according to the text. An official familiar with the bill said it was sent to the Senate floor for a vote.

The official said its main purpose is to give social media companies additional legal protection if they reported to the authorities on traffic circulated by their users, rather than coerce them to spy on users.

It is unclear when the Senate might vote on the bill.

A congressional official said it was also unclear if the House of Representatives would pursue similar legislation, which would be necessary for the proposed requirement to become law.

Social media groups have been widely used by militant groups such as Islamic State and Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to recruit members and circulate bomb-making instructions.

At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, Dianne Feinstein, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee and sponsor of the legislation, said social media companies should be working with the government to prevent the use of their systems by violent militants.

“Twitter, FB and YouTube all, as I understand it, remove content on their sites that come to their attention if it violates their terms of service, including terrorism,” Feinstein said.

But, she said, “the companies do not proactively monitor their sites to identify such content nor do they inform the FBI when they identify or remove their content. I believe they should.”

The social media legislation, part of a larger intelligence authorization bill, would not require social media companies to monitor specific users or content posted by individuals. Nor would it penalize companies that failed to comply.

A representative of Twitter said that her company had not taken a position on the legislation. Other social media companies, including Facebook and Google, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Mark Hosenball; additional reporting by Lindsay Dunsmuir; Editing by David Storey and Howard Goller)

Copyright 2025 Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Legislation Politics

Was this article valuable?

Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article.

Thank you! % of people found this article valuable. Please tell us what you liked about it.

Here are more articles you may enjoy.

Allstate Promotes Rizzo to COO, Merten to President of Property-Liability
FEMA, Customs and Border Protection Staff Data Stolen in Breach
Transportation Department Tightens Noncitizen Truck Driver Rules
US Government Shutdown Curtails Key Weather and Climate Programs

Interested in Catastrophe?

Get automatic alerts for this topic.

Email This Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Categories: National NewsTopics: cyber information sharing, Islamic State social media, social media information sharing, terrorism prevention, terrorism social media posts, Twitter terror activity
  • Have a hot lead? Email us at newsdesk@insurancejournal.com

Featured Comment

  • July 9, 2015 at 3:49 pm
    Agent says:
    Hot debate. What do you think?
    Thumb up 15
    Thumb down 10

    Jack, the question is – when will IJ stop posting stories favorable to Obamacare? Some could have been written by Josh Earnest or Jonathon Gruber.

Latest Comments

  • July 9, 2015 at 3:49 pm
    Agent says:
    Jack, the question is - when will IJ stop posting stories favorable to Obamacare? Some could have been written by Josh Earnest or Jonathon Gruber.
  • July 9, 2015 at 2:39 pm
    Jack Kanauph says:
    Will Insurance Journal have to comply too? Because they are the Bomb, and they're blowing up the insurance world. OOOppss....

Add a CommentSee All Comments (2)Add a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

More News
Japan’s Asahi Hack That Halted Beer Production Claimed by Qilin Ransomware Group
EU Eyes Sanctions on Fake Flags Used by Russia Shadow Oil Fleet
Italian Families Target Facebook, Instagram and TikTok Over Child Safety
Chobani Urges End to Dannon Parent’s Cold-Brew Coffee Lawsuit
More News Features

Read This Next

  • Twitter, Facebook, YouTube Must Report Terrorist Activity: Senate Bill
  • Correction: Mass. Appeals Court Revives Fired Employee's Religious Claim Over Vaccine Refusal
  • US Political Violence Surges to Record, Bloomberg Analysis Shows
  • AIG Promotes 3 to Lead North America Commercial as Bailey Retires
  • Swiss Re Takes a Look at Hidden Behavioral Forces Behind Skyrocketing Jury Awards

Insurance Jobs

  • Senior Insurance Agent (3+ Yrs P&C Exp | W-2 | Warm Leads | In-Office Only) Senior Insurance Agent (3+ Yrs P&C Exp | W-2 | Warm Leads | In-Office Only) - Westminster, CO
  • Claims Manager, Insurance & Risk Management - Queens, New York
  • Customer Service Agent – Personal Lines - Bethlehem, PA
  • Director, Actuarial and Analytics – Business Insurance Liability - Saint Paul, MN
  • Actuarial Analyst – Commercial Lines – REMOTE - Remote
MyNewMarkets
  • How to Attract the Next Generation to Insurance
  • 5 Evolving Trends Shaping Architects and Engineers Coverage
  • Rethinking Assault & Battery Liability in Commercial Real Estate
  • From Golf Greens to Sausage Fests: The Wild World of Prize Insurance
  • As Schools Prepare to Pay Athletes, What Role Will Insurance Play?
Claims Journal
  • Tesla Unveils Lower-Cost Models in Drive to Reignite Sales
  • Expert: Inflation Continues to Sew Uncertainty in Auto and Auto Repair
  • Negotiation Is the Job: Reframing Defense Work in an AI-Enhanced Era
  • Jaguar Land Rover Bailout Shows Rising Cost of Cybercrime
  • Chobani Urges End to Dannon Parent's Cold-Brew Coffee Lawsuit
Academy of Insurance education
  • October 9 Forward Into The Past: Certificates of Insurance, Additional Insureds, and Other Contractual Risk Transfer Issues
  • October 16 Auto Insurance: You Get What You Pay For
  • October 23 Gotchas That'll Getchya - Latest Policy Language That'll Get You Sued
  • October 30 Challenges in Agency Mergers – Reducing Staff Flight and Avoiding E&O Claims

Insurance News

  • News by Region
  • News by Topic
  • Yesterday

Site Search

Features

  • Insurance Markets Directory
  • Forums
  • A.M. Best Company Ratings
  • Industry Events
  • Agencies For Sale
  • Newswire
  • Insurance Jobs
  • Rankings & Awards

Connect with us

  • Email Newsletters
  • Magazine Subscriptions
  • For Your Website
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Do Not Sell My Info

Insurance Journal

  • Submit News
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Reprints
  • Link to Us
  • Contact Us

Wells Media Group Network

  • Insurance Journal
  • MyNewMarkets.com
  • Claims Journal
  • Insurance Journal TV
  • Academy of Insurance
  • Carrier Management
© 2025 by Wells Media Group, Inc. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Site Map