Sen. Charles Schumer pushed new legislation on Sunday that would offer at least $25,000 for social media tips that help law enforcement prevent a terrorist attack in the U.S.
Schumer said the way the law is currently written doesn’t specifically qualify social media tips, including those from Facebook or Twitter, for cash rewards.
“It’s fair to say that social media has become ISIS’s weapon of choice to recruit and plan and attempt to succeed at terror attacks in the United States,” Schumer said. “It’s a small price to pay for increasing our vigilance against terrorists.”
He said the secretary of state has the authority to authorize rewards that lead to the arrest or conviction of anyone who plans or commits a terrorist act. Under the current program, he added, awarding a reward for a social media tip is discretionary, and there is no mimum reward amount.
The legislation Schumer was pushing on Sunday would stipulate a reward range from $25,000 to $25 million.
