Ted Poe: “Terrorists have used Twitter to convert thousands of young American minds and recruit new jihadists for ISIS. Federal…”

“Terrorists have used Twitter to convert thousands of young American minds and recruit new jihadists for ISIS. Federal law prohibits giving aid or helping a designated foreign terrorist organization. These FTOs use Twitter, an American company, as a tool, and no one is adequately stopping them. Why are American companies and the U.S. Government allowing social media platforms to be hijacked by terrorists? Some say shutting down terrorists' social media accounts would be violating free speech. That is nonsense. They are wrong. The United States Supreme Court has already ruled there are no constitutional protections for foreign terrorist organizations to incite violence. Allowing terrorists to wage their cyber war with America has helped radicalize thousands of foreign fighters and raise millions of dollars online. Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed my bill, co- authored by my friend, Mr. Connolly from Virginia, the Combat Terrorist Use of Social Media Act. This bill requires the administration to come up with a comprehensive strategy to counter terrorists' cyber war and use of social media. Private American companies should not be operating as the war propaganda mouthpiece of designated foreign terrorist organizations like ISIS. And that is just the way it is. ____________________”