- The Intercept reportedSocial media platforms have partnered with DHS to combat misinformation.
- Facebook built a special portalGovernment officials can request that content from users be censored or throttled.
- This content focuses on the origins and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also discusses racial justice and US support to Ukraine.
The Department of Homeland Security is collaborating with social media companies to combat online misinformation. The Intercept reportedMonday: revealing a special portalFacebook hosted a meeting for government officials to request that user content be removed.
While disinformation continues to be a problem for many in the DHS, they became more visible through the creation of the Disinformation Governance Boardearlier in the year, with the stated goal to “safeguard the United States from threats” due to false information on national security matters.
DHS states that “The Department is committed to doing all its work in a manner that protects Americans freedom of speech, civil liberties and privacy.” StatementConcerning the program, which was Just months after the announcement, it was stoppedFollowing Extreme backlashFrom critics who saw parallels to Ministry of Truth, which produced propaganda in novel “1984”.
Reporting by The Intercept found, through reviewing internal DHS documents, that the organization targeted information it deemed to be “inaccurate” about “the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, racial justice, US withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the nature of US support to Ukraine” that was posted on social media.
However, how DHS determines what constitutes disinformation — which it Defines as “false information that is deliberately spread with the intent to deceive or mislead” — remains unclear and subjective, giving government officials broad leeway in classifying speech as dangerous or false.
Insider reached out to DHS and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), but they did not respond immediately.
Facebook posts are under government control
Reddit, Twitter and Facebook representatives met with DHS officials monthly to discuss the management of political misinformation. NBC News reported. However, it is not clear what specific actions were taken by the private business. Recent DHS ReportsThis indicates a greater focus on the prevention of online disinformation campaigns.
Facebook uses the following: portalThe Content Request System, The Intercept reportedBoth DHS officials and law enforcement officers can submit reports directly about suspicious or subversive posts. Although it is not clear when the portal was established or what criteria are required to remove a post, The Intercept reported that posts regarding COVID-19 and the withdrawal from Afghanistan were targeted.
Facebook’s cooperation and partnerships with government agencies has been criticized by both parties. There have been reports of user data being shared. Individuals are facing charges after they sought an abortion in a country where it was not legal.To Responding to forged legal demands by providing user data. Owner Mark Zuckerberg himself In an interview with Joe Rogan, it was confirmedThe platform collaborated with FBI to suppress FBI reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptopIt “fits the pattern” of posts that the platform was advised to watch out for.
“The background here is that the FBI came to us — some folks on our team — and was like, ‘Hey, just so you know, you should be on high alert that there was a lot of Russian propaganda in the 2016 election,'” Zuckerberg told Rogan. Though the veracity of some of the content reported to be on Biden’s laptop remains unproven, The New York Times in March reported on emails “from a cache of files that appears to have come from a laptop abandoned by Mr. Biden in a Delaware repair shop.”
Insider reached out to Meta and Facebook representatives but they did not respond immediately.
