Nina Jankowicz will lead the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s Disinformation Governance Board<\/p>\n
Oh, (Big) Brother!<\/p>\n
President Biden came under fire Thursday for the creation of a \u201cdystopian\u201d disinformation bureau created under his Homeland Security department, which critics are blasting as just a way for the government to police free speech online.<\/p>\n
Conservatives slammed the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s Orwellian new \u201cDisinformation Governance Board\u201d \u2013 with some suggesting the timing is convenient given Elon Musk vowed to make Twitter a free speech haven after his $44 billion takeover of the social media platform notorious for selectively censoring right-leaning points of view.<\/p>\n
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley<\/a> called the new board a \u201cdisgrace\u201d that was designed to \u201cmonitor all Americans\u2019 speech.\u201d<\/p>\n In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Hawley said he initially thought Wednesday\u2019s announcement was \u201csatire.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSurely, no American administration would ever use the power of government to sit in judgement on the First Amendment speech of its own citizens. Sadly, I was mistaken,\u201d Hawley wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cRather than protecting our border or the American homeland, you have chosen to make policing Americans\u2019 speech your priority.\u201d<\/p>\n Florida Republican Congressional candidate, Dr. Willie J. Montague<\/a>, tweeted: \u201cIs there anything more dystopian than a Disinformation Governance Board run by the federal government?\u201d<\/p>\n And Texas GOP Congressman Troy Nehls<\/a> griped: \u201cThey didn\u2019t need a \u2018Disinformation Governance Board\u2019 until @elonmusk threatened their control over the narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert<\/a> accused Democrats of spending \u201cthe last weeks planting the seeds for the back-up plan in case the Twitter deal actually happened.\u201d<\/p>\n She, too, called the news \u201cdystopian\u201d and said the left \u201ccan\u2019t afford to let the truth be anything but what they say.\u201d<\/p>\n The hashtag \u201cMinistry of Truth\u201d was also trending on Twitter as critics compared the new board to George Orwell\u2019s \u201c1984\u201d novel.<\/p>\n \u201cAdolf Hitler had a Ministry of Truth. Joseph Goebbels had a Ministry of Truth. Joseph Stalin had a Ministry of Truth. Joseph Biden has a Ministry of Truth,\u201d tweeted Errol Webber<\/a>, GOP congressional candidate in California.<\/p>\n Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde<\/a> added: \u201cBiden\u2019s dystopian Disinformation Governance Board is seriously dangerous and wholly unconstitutional. I\u2019m demanding Congress investigate DHS\u2019 Ministry of Truth \u2014 NOW.\u201d<\/p>\n The newly formed panel will target supposed misinformation aimed at key points of vulnerability for Biden and Democrats such as southern border migrants, as well as monitor and prepare for Russian disinformation threats as\u00a0this year\u2019s midterm elections\u00a0near, the DHS said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe spread of disinformation can affect border security, Americans\u2019 safety during disasters, and public trust in our democratic institutions,\u201d the department said in a statement.<\/p>\n DHS said that the board will \u201cprotect privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties\u201d as part of its duties.<\/p>\n The board will be led by Nina Jankowicz \u2013 a disinformation expert who has been criticized for repeatedly casting doubt on The Post\u2019s reporting about Hunter Biden\u2019s laptop.<\/p>\n White House press secretary Jen Psaki said she didn\u2019t have details on the board\u2019s role, or its executive director, during her Thursday press briefing, but said President Biden supported the effort.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that there has been a range of disinformation out there about a range of topics \u2014 I mean, including COVID, for example, and also elections and eligibility,\u201d Psaki said. \u201cBut I will check and see if there\u2019s more specifics.\u201d<\/p>\n The backlash over the creation of the board came as the Biden administration also unveiled an international \u201cDeclaration for the Future of the Internet\u201d<\/a> with 50 other countries on Thursday that endorsed efforts to also curb online \u201cdisinformation\u201d and \u201charassment.\u201d<\/p>\n The document outlines ideas for \u201creclaiming the promise of the Internet\u201d and US officials described it as an effort to counter the practices of countries including\u00a0China<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Russia<\/a>.<\/p>\n It notably doesn\u2019t mention domestic US struggles over internet freedom, such as politically motivated censorship of news stories by private companies and alleged illegal government mass surveillance.<\/p>\n The term disinformation has been used to censor content that later gains broad acceptance \u2014 such as The Post\u2019s reporting on documents from Hunter Biden\u2019s laptop, which Twitter blocked and Facebook throttled, and speculation that COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese lab, which Facebook banned before US intelligence agencies later found the scenario one of two \u201cplausible\u201d pandemic origin theories.<\/p>\n The vague document doesn\u2019t describe a specific remedy for disinformation, but does call for governments to \u201c[f]oster greater exposure to diverse cultural and multilingual content, information, and news online.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExposure to diverse content online should contribute to pluralistic public discourse, foster greater social and digital inclusion within society, bolster resilience to disinformation and misinformation, and increase participation in democratic processes,\u201d the document read.<\/p>\n The new document is signed by many US allies, including the governments of France, Israel, Japan and the UK, but the list doesn\u2019t include many of the largest but relatively poor democracies, such as Brazil, India, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n