The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are working closely with major social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to They are reportedly cracking down. Leaked documents further indicate their plans to expand censorship.
Leaked documents reveal how the Department of Homeland Security plans to crack down on disinformation.
According to an article published Monday by The Interceptleaked documents and court records reveal the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) plans to “crack down on disinformation. “DHS is “heavily involved in social media content moderation and is a major player in social media content moderation,” tweeted Ken Klippenstein, one of the two authors. Lee Fung, the other author, elaborated.
According to the document, Facebook and Twitter are working closely with the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to crack down on “disinformation.” Plans include expanding censorship on topics such as the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the origins of Covid, and information that undermines trust in financial institutions.
Disinformation usually refers to false information that is intentionally disseminated, but the authors note that it is not clear how the term is defined by the government.
Referring to the Disinformation Governance Committee, which was established by DHS earlier this year and then shut down within a few months, the authors stress that other similar initiatives still remain as DHS “shifts its focus to social media oversight.” The article reveals that ” Behind closed doors, through pressure on private platforms, the U.S. government is using its power to shape online discourse.”
At a March meeting attended by senior executives from Twitter and JPMorgan Chase, the author noted that FBI officials stressed the need for “an accountable media infrastructure,” adding.
There is also a formal process for government officials to flag Facebook and Instagram content directly and request throttling or suppression through a special Facebook portal that requires a government or law enforcement email.
“Prior to the 2020 election, tech companies such as Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Discord, Wikipedia, Microsoft, Linkedin, and Verizon Media held monthly meetings.” They further noted that the meetings are still part of an ongoing effort and shared.
In this article, Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s head of legal policy, trust, and safety, is part of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) DHS Advisory Board, which is charged with shaping the “information ecosystem” and “the false and misleading information He also noted that he drafted a report calling for an expanded role for the agency to stop the “proliferation of false and misleading information.
When Tesla CEO Elon Musk took over Twitter last week, he immediately fired Gadde, along with then-CEO Parag Agrawal and CFO Ned Segal. Because of Gadde’s involvement in supporting government censorship, some thought that the Biden administration would subject Musk’s Twitter acquisition deal to a national security review. However, the White House clarified last week that there was no such review.
The findings by Klippenstein and Fung outraged many, who took to Twitter to voice their opinions. One Twitter user wrote, “This is the biggest story of our lives and perhaps one of the most shocking facts in US history.” Another emphasized. ‘This is a huge story and needs to be told. Without accountability, our rights are at stake. This cannot continue.” A third user wrote, “This is probably a huge First Amendment violation.”
Several members of Congress also commented on the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to crack down on disinformation. U.S. Representative Dan Bishop (R-NC) tweeted.
Biden’s DHS and Big Tech are working hand in hand to shut down dissenting political speech. The “disinformation board” that has been released to the public is just the tip of the iceberg. It warrants a full-scale congressional investigation.
Crypto proponent Congressman Warren Davidson tweeted, ” Turns out the end of the “Disinformation Governance Committee” was disinformation…” Another congressman, U.S. Representative Ronnie Jackson (R-TX), opined, ” Biden’s ‘Disinformation Control Board’ was set up to silence conservatives. If we disagree with the administration’s narrative, we are a threat in Biden’s eyes. This White House will never silence us.”
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