The State Department’s Foreign Disinformation Center, which has been accused by conservatives of censoring American citizens, was shut down this week, citing lack of funding.
Elon Musk has labeled the Global Engagement Center (GEC), which he founded in 2016, as “the worst offender in U.S. government censorship and media manipulation,” and said its funding is tied to the Pentagon’s annual policy of National Defense. It was stripped as part of the National Powers Act (NDAA). invoice.
“Global Engagement Center will be terminated by operation of law.” [by the end of the day] “On December 23, 2024, the State Department consulted with Congress about next steps,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.
Lawmakers originally included funding for the GEC in a continuing resolution (CR), or bill, that would provide funding to the government beyond Friday’s deadline. However, conservatives balked at repeating the funding bill, and the bill was rewritten without funding the GEC or other funding provisions.
The agency had a budget of approximately $61 million and a staff of 120 people.
At a time when adversaries like Iran and Russia are spreading disinformation around the world, Republicans see little value in the agency’s work, arguing that much of the disinformation analysis is already provided by the private sector. Ta.
The State Department’s Foreign Disinformation Center, which has been accused by conservatives of censoring American citizens, was shut down this week, citing lack of funding. (Graphic by Fox News using assets from Getty Images)
According to reporter Matt Taibbi, GEC “funded secret lists of subcontractors and helped pioneer an insidious and foolish new form of blacklisting” during the pandemic.
When Taibi released his Twitter files last year, he said the GEC “flagged accounts as “Russian personas or agents” based on criteria such as “depicting the coronavirus as a man-made biological weapon,” and “The emergence of a virus for the CIA.”
“The state also issued a warning to an account that retweeted the news that Twitter had banned popular U.S. website ZeroHedge, claiming that it ‘invited the spread of new misinformation.'” They reported that it was assumed that the incident occurred in the room.
GEC is part of the State Department, but also partners with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Special Operations Command, and the Department of Homeland Security. GEC also funds the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab).
Demand for state government agencies to spend money on charges of censoring and blacklisting Americans
DFRLab director Graham Brookie previously said the GEC grant was “solely international in focus” and rejected claims that taxpayer money was being used to track Americans.
According to the Washington Post, a 2024 report from the Republican-led House Small Business Committee will target organizations whose activities include tracking domestic and international misinformation and assessing the credibility of U.S.-based publishers. He criticized the GEC for giving subsidies.
Elon Musk has labeled the Global Engagement Center (GEC), which he founded in 2016, as the “U.S. government’s worst offender in censorship and media manipulation.” (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
When journalist Matt Taibbi published the Twitter file last year, he said the GEC “denounces research done in a Wuhan lab and uses accounts based on criteria such as ‘depicting the coronavirus as a man-made biological weapon.’ flagged as a ‘Russian persona and agent.’ ‘ (Daniel Zushnik/WireImage)
The lawsuit was filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Daily Wire, and The Federalist, which earlier this month accused the State Department, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other government officials of “censoring and deplatforming American media.” The lawsuit alleges that the company was involved in a conspiracy to abolish demonetization. It’s a news organization hated by the federal government. ”
The lawsuit states that GEC was used by the defendants as a tool to carry out censorship.
“Congress expressly authorized the establishment of the Global Engagement Center to combat foreign propaganda and misinformation,” the Texas Attorney General’s Office said in a press release. “Instead, government agencies have weaponized this power to violate the First Amendment and suppress the constitutionally protected speech of Americans.
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The complaint describes the State Department’s project as “one of the most egregious government operations in the nation’s history to censor the American press.”
The lawsuit alleges that the Daily Wire, The Federalist, and other conservative news outlets were branded “untrustworthy” or “dangerous” by the network, “deprived of advertising revenue and reduced circulation of news and commentary. All of this is a direct result of: [the State Department’s] Illegal censorship plan. ”
Meanwhile, America First Legal, headed by Stephen Miller, who President-elect Donald Trump has named as his deputy chief of staff for policy, said the GEC is planning a “cat park” to “vaccinate young people against disinformation.” It was revealed that he had used tax money to create a video game called ” abroad.
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According to a memo obtained by America First Legal, the game “shows how sensational headlines, memes, and manipulated media can be used to promote conspiracy theories and incite real-world violence.” “By doing so, we will seed the players.”
According to the Tennessee Star, Mike Benz, executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online, said the game is “anti-populist” and aims to protect Americans from foreign disinformation by targeting specific political groups. He said it was an attempt to impose his beliefs.
