Sec. 7. Prohibition on funding for the Ministry of Public Security of the Government of Vietnam
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Congress finds the following: — The Vietnam-based group APT 32, or OceanLotus Group, is one of the most active cyber espionage units in the world and has, since 2014, carried out intrusions into private sector companies and attempted to both surveil and steal the sensitive personal information of Vietnamese dissidents living outside of Vietnam as well as foreign governments. APT 32 consistently acts in the interests of the Government of Vietnam, hacking individuals in Germany, China, Cambodia, and the Philippines and taking over the websites of Vietnamese Catholics and hacking, news services, industrial plants, steel companies, and other entities.
The military of Vietnam operates a group of 10,000 cybertroops , named Force 47, whose members intimidate and harass Vietnamese citizens online who speak out against government policies or otherwise peacefully exercise their human rights in a way determined by the Government of Vietnam as unacceptable. Consistent with section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 ( 22 U.S.C. 2378d ), no assistance may be furnished under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 ( 22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) or the Arms Export Control Act ( 22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.) to assist, directly or indirectly, any unit of the Ministry of Public Security of the Government of Vietnam or any other unit of the Government of Vietnam engaged in cyber-espionage activities.
Not later than 75 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the extraterritorial activities of entities affiliated with or employed by the Government of Vietnam to engage in cyber espionage or surveil and harass Vietnamese dissidents living outside of Vietnam who are critical of policies of the Government of Vietnam or who advocate for internationally recognized human rights.
The report required by this subsection shall include information on the steps taken by the United States Government to address cyber espionage from Vietnam and the protection of United States companies and United States citizens and permanent resident aliens. The report required by this subsection shall be submitted in unclassified form, by may include a classified annex with respect to information that is sensitive to United States national security interests, as determined by the Secretary.
The public element of the report may be issued as part of testimony by the Secretary of State before the House Foreign Affairs Committee or the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In this subsection, the term appropriate congressional committees means— the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Homeland Security, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives; and the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
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Sec. 7
Prohibition on funding for the Ministry of Public Security of the Government of Vietnam
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