Staff Reports
Last year, Nina Jankowicz, a former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, resigned from the newly founded Disinformation Governance Board due to the dismantling of it. In response to the decision, the DHS claimed that they would continue their efforts to ensure national security while also respecting individual rights. However, a recent report by the House Judiciary Committee has uncovered that the DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) officials have admitted to the unconstitutional nature of their censorship activities.
The report highlights the fact that the DHS has been outsourcing its censorship operation to third parties, in an attempt to avoid typical First Amendment concerns and steer clear of accusations of government propaganda. The Center for Internet Security was even cited as a proxy for CISA’s attempt to censor information. The government’s actions go against the First Amendment’s explicit ruling against the suppression of free speech, and the report notes that CISA went so far as to cover up its involvement in information curation.
This is a plain violation of constitutional rights, as the Congressional report refers to DHS’s actions as “censorship by proxy.” MDM Subcommittee members, along with CISA officials, admitted that the agency was not authorized to conduct surveillance and censorship as it was doing; however, the organization carried on undeterred.
The censorship even extended to factual information if the government deemed the information to lack context. One MDM official stated that “unfortunately current public discourse, seems to accept malinformation [that which is factual but lacking context according to the government] as ‘speech’ and within democratic norms.”
Mike Benz, executive director for the Foundation For Freedom Online organization, commented on the report, saying that after 15 months of putting pressure on the CISA, the censorship scandal is “cracking wide open.”
Benz also highlighted how US taxpayers funded the censoring of foreign elections in places like Germany through an organization funded by CIA cut-outs, NDI and IRI, as well as the State Department’s NGO blob.
After 15 months of pressure on the CISA censorship scandal, it's cracking wide open.
CISA: "Only a matter of time before someone realizes we exist and starts asking about our work."
They weren't ready for @FFO_Freedom, @mtaibbi, @shellenberger, @America1stLegal, @lhfang & more https://t.co/PvLg6EC1PX
— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) June 26, 2023
The report paints a picture of a state-guided information curation system that is actively eroding the foundations of democracy. It is clear that the government’s intentions go against the principles that allow for a free and open society where debate and dialogue are actively encouraged.
Source: Trending Politics
