NJ, PA congressmen introduce bill to lift veil on internet usage of illegal activity

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two regional congressmen have introduced a bipartisan bill which would begin tracking when the internet, and especially social media outlets, are used in illegal activity.

The bill, sponsored by Democrat Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Pennsylvania, requires the FBI to include a check-off box on crime reports submitted by local law enforcement which will show that the internet was somehow involved in the crime being reported.

The two lawmakers held a joint news conference on Thursday which included Dr. Laura Berman and Samuel Chapman, parents of Sammy Chapman, a 16-year-old who purchased drugs over a Snapchat connection. The drugs were laced with fentanyl and led to his death.

Known as CHATS, "Combating Harmful Actions with Transparency on Social" act, the bill would require the U.S. Attorney General, working with the FBI, to set up standards for local police to include social media involvement in any crimes.

The proposed law, which has support from the National Fraternal Order of Police, directs the FBI and Justice Department to collect and report on data on crimes involving social media.

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Local law enforcement would check a box when they file police report stating whether a social media platform is suspected to have been involved in the crime and list which platform was involved.

The U.S. Attorney General would also publish an annual statistical report detailing which internet platforms are connected to which crimes, "so we understand where and how these social crimes are taking place against our children," the two said.

Fitzpatrick, himself a former FBI agent, and Gottheimer said collecting such data would also make clearer how China uses TikTok to gather personal data on American citizens.

Social media, which includes Snapchat, the service over which young Chapman purchased his drugs, "gives unfettered direct access to sell drugs to our kids," said Gottheimer, who noted than an estimated 25% of illegal drug traffic is done over the internet.

Snapchat is an instant messaging platform that allows users to send each other written texts, images or video instantly. The messages disappear after they are opened and viewed. TikTok allows users to scroll through short videos, and send messages to friends.

"You can order drugs, pay for them and Uber will deliver," he said.

"We need your help in this," Fitzpatrick said, directing the comment to the public and media. "Changing the law is important, but education is also important. We (Congress) have no higher duty than to take care of our kids, who are under assault (by social media) right now."

He went on to note that the Communist Party of China, has control over TikTok, and most of the estimated 130 million users in this country "are kids. This is an 'all hands on deck' situation."

Samuel Chapman said that as parents, they had a hard time getting information, even after their son's death, from the local police who said their son's use of Snapchat "was a privacy issue. Yet, parents are the ones in charge of our child's privacy."

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Berman said, "it's really the Wild West our there. It's a scary and wild new world.

"I think people would feel safe at home and under your own roof," she added. "But this is really a murder."

She said police refused to call Snapchat an accessory to murder and there "are hundreds and thousands of (these kind) of murders every day."

Also at the news conference was Marc Berkman, CEO of the Organization for Consumer Social Media Safety, said the dangers are cyclical — "The media shines a light, the light dims and then another child dies."

The legislators said the social media connections are not just with drugs, but also involved in sex trafficking and data collection and sales, and getting any cooperation, even between the sites and parents, is difficult, because the sites don't want to lose customers.

Fitzpatrick, who was part of the FBI team investigating the San Bernardino shooting in 2015, noted that even online video games are being used for both drug and sex trafficking, since adults can hide behind a fake ID and "groom" potential victims.

Young Sam's parents have started a Facebook page, Parents for Safer Children, to bring attention to the problem.

"There is a tsunami of death sweeping the country," said Sam Chapman, "and it went right through our home."

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Tracking illegal activity on web subject of NJ, PA congressmen bill