Combating Cartels on Social Media Act of 2025

House Bill

H.R. 488

119th Congress

Combating Cartels on Social Media Act of 2025

In Committee

Introduced:Jan 16, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Sponsor information unavailable

Cosponsors

0

Quick Stats

Summary

This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the State Department to study how criminal organizations use social media and online platforms to recruit people in the United States and conduct illegal activities. The agencies must report their findings to Congress within 180 days and develop strategies to combat these recruitment and criminal activities online.

Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.

Introduced1/16/2025

StatusReferred to the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.

ChamberHouse

Data from Congress.gov

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Vote Prediction

Combating Cartels on Social Media Act of 2025

This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the State Department to study how criminal organizations use social media and online platforms to recruit people in the United States and conduct illegal activities. The age

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This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the State Department to study how criminal organizations use social media and online platforms to recruit people in the United States and conduct illegal activities. The agencies must report their findings to Congress within 180 days and develop strategies to combat these recruitment and criminal activities online.

Bill Number: 488
Introduced: 1/16/2025
Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Combating Cartels on Social Media Act of 2025
Bill Number: 488
Sponsor: No sponsor
Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.
Introduced: 1/16/2025
Summary: This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the State Department to study how criminal organizations use social media and online platforms to recruit people in the United States and conduct illegal activities. The agencies must report their findings to Cong

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the State Department to study how criminal organizations use social media and online platforms to recruit people in the United States and conduct illegal activities. The agencies must report their findings to Congress within 180 days and develop strategies to combat these recruitment and criminal activities online.

Last updated: 3/4/2026

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

The bill targets transnational criminal organizations that use social media platforms, messaging apps, and online gaming services to recruit people for illegal activities.
Federal agencies must assess how these organizations use online platforms for crimes including drug trafficking, human smuggling, weapons trafficking, and money laundering.
The assessment focuses particularly on recruitment of individuals in the United States for criminal activities near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Social media companies and online service operators may be affected as the government develops strategies to combat criminal use of their platforms.
Congress will receive a detailed report within 180 days describing how criminal organizations exploit online services and what can be done to stop them.

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill primarily affects federal law enforcement agencies, which must conduct research and develop new strategies for combating online criminal recruitment. Social media companies and online platform operators will likely face increased scrutiny regarding how criminal organizations use their services. Young people and other potential recruitment targets may benefit from enhanced protections against being drawn into criminal activities through online platforms.

Policy Areas

No policy areas assigned yet.

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

488, 119th Congress (2025). "Combating Cartels on Social Media Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/119-hr-488

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