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[–] LavonAffair [S] ago  (edited ago)

The "Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act of 2016", aka h.r 5181, is a bill related to; h.r 6393 - Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017; and S.2692 - Countering Information Warfare Act of 2016. These bills got passed as part of of NDAA 2017, the large bill you linked to.

Apparently in the latter two bills congress watered the title down to mask the poison. The most important section is Title V sec.501 in h.r 6393:

Committee to counter active measures by the Russian Federation to exert covert influence over peoples and governments.

(a) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) ACTIVE MEASURES BY RUSSIA TO EXERT COVERT INFLUENCE.—The term “active measures by Russia to exert covert influence” means activities intended to influence a person or government that are carried out in coordination with, or at the behest of, political leaders or the security services of the Russian Federation and the role of the Russian Federation has been hidden or not acknowledged publicly, including the following:

(A) Establishment or funding of a front group.

(B) Covert broadcasting.

(C) Media manipulation.

(D) Disinformation and forgeries.

(E) Funding agents of influence.

(F) Incitement and offensive counterintelligence.

(G) Assassinations.

(H) Terrorist acts.

Further down the section:

(1) To counter active measures by Russia to exert covert influence, including by exposing falsehoods, agents of influence, corruption, human rights abuses, terrorism, and assassinations carried out by the security services or political elites of the Russian Federation or their proxies.

This new committee will have the power to censor all alternative media by accusing the websites of being Russian propagandists. The committee will also be in charge of domestic propaganda, including the financing of journalists under the "Information access fund" section found in s. 2692 and h.r 5181. Essentially this committee will be just like the Ministry of Truth from George Orwell's 1984.