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S 3563
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A bill to require the Secretary of Defense assess and, as appropriate, implement open technical standards for digital content provenance, and for other purposes.

To require the Secretary of Defense assess and, as appropriate, implement open technical standards for digital content provenance, and for other purposes.

Introduced Dec 18, 2025

Latest action (Dec 18, 2025) Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

Referred to
Armed Services Committee
Policy area
Armed Forces and National Security
Issues
Defense

Summary

This bill requires the Secretary of Defense to develop a roadmap by June 1, 2026 for potentially adopting open technical standards to verify the authenticity and track the origin of digital media that the Department of Defense releases publicly. The roadmap must identify and assess existing standards, establish strategic objectives for securing public-facing content, and outline processes for embedding and verifying digital credentials. The Department must also engage with research centers, industry, and academia to align efforts with best practices. By July 1, 2026, the Secretary must brief Congress on the Department's findings regarding feasibility, stakeholder engagement, and planned next steps.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
1 cosponsor

Actions (2)
  1. Dec 18, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services. · senate
  2. Dec 18, 2025 Introduced in Senate

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  • S 4570 — U.S. Tech PATH Act · Introduced Jul 27, 2026 · Cong. 119 65%

Full text

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

December 18, 2025

Mr. Peters (for himself and Ms. Ernst) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

A BILL

To require the Secretary of Defense assess and, as appropriate, implement open technical standards for digital content provenance, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ROADMAP FOR ADVANCING DIGITAL CONTENT PROVENANCE STANDARDS.

(a) In General.—Not later than June 1, 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall develop a roadmap to guide potential future adoption and integration of digital content provenance capabilities across the Department of Defense.

(b) Elements.—The roadmap developed pursuant to subsection (a) shall—

(1) identify and assess current and proposed open technical standards for digital content provenance that could be applied to publicly released digital media assets produced by the Department of Defense, the military components, and field activities of the Department;

(2) identify strategic objectives relating to securing and authenticating public-facing digital content;

(3) describe relevant roles and responsibilities across military departments and components of the Department;

(4) explore the establishment of standardized processes to enable embedding and verification of content credentials in appropriate public-facing Department media;

(5) outline potential acquisition approaches for supporting technologies and solutions;

(6) develop metrics, as appropriate, to assess the effectiveness, reliability, and scalability of digital content provenance technologies;

(7) establish an engagement mechanism for coordination with relevant stakeholders, including federally funded research and development centers, industry, and academia, to align efforts with evolving best practices and technical capabilities; and

(8) establish notional milestones and resource needs, disaggregated by fiscal year, to inform longer-term planning.

(c) Briefing to Congress.—Not later than July 1, 2026, the Secretary of Defense shall provide the congressional defense committees (as defined in section 101(a) of title 10, United States Code) a briefing on the Department’s roadmap for adopting digital content provenance standards. The briefing should address—

(1) initial findings regarding feasibility, opportunities, and potential barriers;

(2) stakeholder engagement to date; and

(3) any planned next steps or pilot efforts under consideration.

(d) Definition of Digital Content Provenance.—In this section, the term “digital content provenance” means the verifiable history and origin of a digital asset, including information about its creation, ownership, and modifications over time. <all>

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