Global Online Freedom Act of 2009
Latest action · May 7, 2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 6, 2009
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Global Online Freedom Act of 2009 - Makes it U.S. policy to: (1) promote the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media; (2) use all appropriate instruments of U.S. influence to support the free flow of information without interference or discrimination; and (3) deter U.S. businesses from cooperating with Internet-restricting countries in effecting online censorship.
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President should seek international agreements to protect Internet freedom; and (2) some U.S. businesses, in assisting foreign governments to restrict online access to U.S.-supported websites and government reports and to identify individual Internet users, are working contrary to U.S. foreign policy interests.
Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require assessments of electronic information freedom in each foreign country.
Establishes in the Department of State the Office of Global Internet Freedom (OGIF).
Directs the Secretary of State to annually designate Internet-restricting countries. Prohibits, subject to waiver, U.S. businesses that provide to the public a commercial Internet search engine, communications services, or hosting services from locating, in such countries, any personally identifiable information used to establish or maintain an Internet services account.
Requires U.S. businesses that collect or obtain personally identifiable information through the Internet to notify the OGIF and the Attorney General before responding to a disclosure request from an Internet-restricting country. Authorizes the Attorney General to prohibit a business from complying with the request, except for legitimate foreign law enforcement purposes.
Requires U.S. businesses to report to the OGIF certain Internet censorship information involving Internet-restricting countries.
Prohibits U.S. businesses that maintain Internet content hosting services from jamming U.S.-supported websites or U.S.-supported content in Internet-restricting countries.
Authorizes the President to waive provisions of this Act: (1) to further the purposes of this Act; (2) if a country ceases restrictive activity; or (3) if it is the national interest of the United States.
Cosponsors 10
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 6, 2009 to Apr 20, 2010; 5 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Brad Sherman | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| R-IN | Dan Burton | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| R-CA | Dana Rohrabacher | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| R-VA | Frank R. Wolf | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| R-MI | Thaddeus G. McCotter | Original | May 6, 2009 |
| R-PA | Joseph R. Pitts | Jun 19, 2009 | |
| D-OR | David Wu | Jul 10, 2009 | |
| R-SC | Bob Inglis | Jan 29, 2010 | |
| R-IA | Tom Latham | Feb 24, 2010 | |
| D-OH | Marcy Kaptur | Apr 20, 2010 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Foreign Affairs Committee | Referred May 6, 2009 |
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred May 6, 2009 |
| Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee | Referred May 7, 2009 |
Actions 5
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 7, 2009Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
- May 6, 2009Introduced in House
- May 6, 2009Referred to House Foreign Affairs
- May 6, 2009Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- May 6, 2009Referred to House Energy and Commerce
In the Congressional Record 3
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H11548 | Christopher H. Smith R-NJ | Oct 21, 2009 |
| House | Debate and remarks H7690 | Thaddeus G. McCotter R-MI | Jun 26, 2009 |
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E1327 | Christopher H. Smith R-NJ | Jun 4, 2009 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 111-85 | THE GOOGLE PREDICAMENT: TRANSFORMING U.S. CYBERSPACE POLICY TO ADVANCE DEMOCRACY, SECURITY, AND TRADE129 pages | Foreign Affairs Committee | Mar 10, 2010 |
| — | THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TIANANMEN SQUARE PROTESTS: EXAMINING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE 1989 DEMONSTRATIONS IN CHINA AND IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S. POLICY62 pages | Congressional-Executive Commission on China | Jun 4, 2009 |
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R41120 | U.S. Initiatives to Promote Global Internet Freedom: Issues, Policy, and Technology Archived | Report | Jan 3, 2011 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To prevent United States businesses from cooperating with repressive governments in transforming the Internet into a tool of censorship and surveillance, to fulfill the responsibility of the United States Government to promote freedom of expression on the Internet, to restore public confidence in the integrity of United States businesses, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Global Online Freedom Act of 2009
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Broadcasting, cable, digital technologies
- Business ethics
- Computer security and identity theft
- Department of State
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Foreign and international corporations
- Government information and archives
- Human rights
- International Affairs
- International law and treaties
- Internet and video services
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Right of privacy
- Telephone and wireless communication
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 6, 2009Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
