Senior officials in the Biden-Harris administration have been warned by Britain's “disinformation” regulator about partnering with social media companies and combating objectionable content on topics such as the election and coronavirus, according to a series of newly released documents. It is shown that the establishment of a government-wide initiative to achieve this goal was pointed out.
The revelations come as Congress investigates possible executive branch censorship efforts in the run-up to the 2024 elections, as House Republicans say they want to ensure U.S. tax dollars don't flow to countries that regulate online speech. This led to the proposal of the bill.
The National Security Council held a closed meeting with the UK Government's Counter Disinformation Unit on 21 August 2021. The Unit for Combating Disinformation is part of the UK Government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
America First Legal, a conservative watchdog group, obtained the slide decks shown at the conference through a major Freedom of Information Act lawsuit with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The slides were part of hundreds of pages of documents obtained from the CDC.
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Critics say the Biden-Harris administration has a troubling history of considering partnerships with social media to control, if not censor, speech. (Getty Images)
The release of this document comes after Rep. Nancy Mace, R.S., chair of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, sent a letter to President Biden and Vice President Harris to ensure that the administration implements the This came shortly after requesting information about possible repression campaigns. Regarding political statements.
Mace also promotes freedom of speech overseas. Last week, he announced a proposal to ban taxpayer funds from supporting foreign governments that violate free speech rights and ban aid to governments that force social media platforms and news outlets to shut down speech. introduced the “Prohibition of Funding Act”.
Mr Mace said the NSC meeting with British troops had gone “over the top”.
“The Biden-Harris administration is so hell-bent on controlling speech and information that it is actually taking advice from foreign governments on how to violate core constitutional rights,” Mace told Fox News Digital. “This is extreme, overreach, and un-American. In response, we introduced the No Funding to Fascists bill.”
Michael Ding, an adviser at America First Legal, said a Congressional investigation into censorship and meetings “that have taken place and may take place in the future” with foreign governments would help.
“Whatever the cause of the day, be it election misinformation or COVID-19 disinformation, these actions can be traced to a web of international NGOs cracking down on free speech.” Ding told FOX News Digital.
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Rep. Nancy Mace (R.S.C.) will censor social media with a new bill she calls the “No Fascist Funding Act,” which would prohibit taxpayer funds from aiding foreign governments that violate free speech rights. trying to deal with. (Courtesy of U.S. Senator Tim Scott)
The focus of the NSC meeting was supposed to be on combating lies about COVID-19, but the UK presentation veered towards the election.
“We have previously launched operational responses to counter disinformation during the 2019 European Election, the 2019 UK General Election, and the UK local and devolved elections in May this year. ” said the counter-disinformation unit slide.
Regarding elections, the unit has indicated it is working with the “Central Election Cell,” social media companies, strategic communications teams, and monitoring and analysis teams.
The 2021 NSC-UK meeting on disinformation included officials from the Department of Defense, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, CIA, FBI, and other agencies.
The America First legal case with the CDC was aimed at investigating the federal government's efforts to block certain information related to the coronavirus.
A CDC spokesperson declined to comment for this story.
Spokespeople for the NSC and the White House did not respond to inquiries regarding this matter.
The Counter Disinformation Unit is a “cross-departmental” UK organization that includes foreign policy agencies, domestic policy agencies and intelligence agencies. The aim is to “assist governments in developing a coordinated response” to misinformation, according to the slide.
Houses of Parliament in London (Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The UK's slide deck included proposals such as creating a unit, such as a counter-disinformation unit, to lead a multi-departmental, whole-of-government effort to stop “disinformation.”
The slides suggest legislation to regulate tech companies' disinformation policies, including fines and fines, similar to the UK's Online Safety Act. “This bill delivers on the Government's commitment to make the UK the safest place in the world online, while protecting freedom of expression,” the slide reads.
Ding said this is just a selling point to get the law passed.
“The gaslighting that the censorship advocates are doing is ridiculous,” he said.
On a more serious note, he said U.S. policymakers should consider the First Amendment implications of extradition policies with the U.K. as the U.K. seeks to arrest speech law violators.
The UK law also refers to the “duty of care” imposed on technology companies under the law.
“A duty of care requires companies to address harm to individuals, including misinformation and disinformation, on online platforms,” one slide reads.
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British officials also proposed using the State Department to work with international allies and using multilateral organizations such as the United Nations, G7 and NATO to combat what the country views as misinformation and disinformation.
The slide states that the international effort provides “a clear message that the international community prioritizes this policy area and encourages cooperation from the platform.”
