{"id":2036910,"date":"2023-09-19T06:21:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T10:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disinformation-tracker-accused-of-censorship-holds-ties-to-uk-government-dark-arts\/"},"modified":"2023-09-19T06:25:47","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T10:25:47","slug":"disinformation-tracker-accused-of-censorship-holds-ties-to-uk-government-dark-arts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disinformation-tracker-accused-of-censorship-holds-ties-to-uk-government-dark-arts\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;UK government-linked &#8216;Disinformation&#8217; tracker accused of censorship: Unveiling &#8216;Dark arts&#8217;.&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdisinformation-tracker-accused-of-censorship-holds-ties-to-uk-government-dark-arts%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2036910&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Affiliations of \u2062Disinformation Tracker Linked to British Government<\/h2>\n<p>A self-proclaimed &#8220;disinformation&#8221; tracker, \u2064accused by\u200b Republicans\u200b of censoring conservative voices\u2062 online, has revealed ties with\u200d the\u200c British \u2064government, according to records. House \u200cJudiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) subpoenaed the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) \u200bas part of\u2062 his investigation \u200dinto &#8220;censorship.&#8221; The CCDH,\u2063 a US charity with a London-based arm, has been \u200bcited by the White House as an expert in \u2063combating disinformation. However, watchdog groups have raised concerns about \u200cthe CCDH&#8217;s board \u200dof directors, which includes British politicians and officials.<\/p>\n<h3>McCormick-Casey Pennsylvania Matchup: The Biggest Senate Race in 2024<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;The CCDH has\u200c become a \u2063go-to organization for the government to \u200bjustify censoring\u2062 conservative \u200ccontent,&#8221; said\u200d Tom \u2064Jones,\u200d president of\u200c the American\u2062 Accountability Foundation. \u2064He expressed concern over the Biden administration giving influence to an \u2062entity affiliated with a \u2063foreign government, potentially\u200b impacting\u200c American civil liberties.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2064 Biden administration and\u200d Facebook have collaborated closely in combating alleged COVID-19 disinformation. In 2021,\u2064 the US government even sent posts to Facebook that\u200c were linked to the \u2064CCDH&#8217;s &#8220;Disinformation Dozen&#8221; report, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disinformation-tracker-accused-of-censorship-holds-ties-to-uk-government-dark-arts\/\" title=\"'UK government-linked 'Disinformation' tracker accused of censorship: Unveiling 'Dark arts'.'\">identified social media\u200d accounts spreading falsehoods<\/a> about the coronavirus.<\/p>\n<p>The CCDH was established in the UK in\u200c 2018, with its founder and \u200bCEO being Imran Ahmed, a\u2064 former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/indiana-gop-senator-mike-braun-announces-hes-running-for-governor\/\" title=\"Indiana GOP Senator Mike Braun Announces He\u2019s Running For Governor\">senior political adviser<\/a>. The organization has \u200bfaced scrutiny, including a lawsuit from X\u200d (formerly \u2063Twitter), which accused the CCDH of making false claims about hate speech on the platform after Elon Musk&#8217;s takeover in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>The CCDH&#8217;s mission is to combat online hate and disinformation through research, campaigns, and policy advocacy. It has \u2064presented evidence to the British Parliament on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chicagos-dyke-march-event-flier-shows-woman-burning-israeli-flag-after-event-banned-jewish-symbols\/\" title=\"Chicago\u2019s \u2018Dyke March\u2019 Event Flier Shows Woman Burning Israeli Flag After Event Banned \u2018Jewish Symbols\u2019\">social media regulations<\/a> and supported an amendment to require advertisers to disclose which domains carry their content, aiming to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-to-hold-first-ever-climate-denial-roundtable\/\" title=\"White House To Hold First-Ever \u2018Climate Denial\u2019 Roundtable\">combat climate denial<\/a>, anti-vaxx propaganda, political misinformation, incel ideology,\u2062 and racial hatred.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, Damian Collins, a conservative member of\u2063 Parliament, is listed as a board member of the CCDH. Collins previously chaired the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and \u200bSport Select Committee and served \u200cas a\u2064 parliamentary \u200dundersecretary of state for tech and the digital economy in the British government. Kirsty McNeill, another board member, worked as a strategy director for former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. \u2064Matthew Gould, also a board member, served as the British ambassador to Israel and\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gamestop-poaches-its-new-ceo-and-cfo-from-amazon-looking-to-compete-in-e-commerce-space\/\" title=\"GameStop Poaches Its New CEO And CFO From Amazon, Looking To Compete In E-Commerce Space\">held senior roles<\/a> in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the UK&#8217;s Department of Health and Social\u2064 Care.<\/p>\n<p>Stephen Miller, president\u2062 of the conservative\u200b group America First Legal, \u200bcalled \u200bfor legislation to prevent foreign entities from interfering \u2064in \u200bAmerican \u200belections and censoring free speech. Recent board members of the \u200dCCDH include Lord Jonathan\u2062 Oates, a liberal British\u200c politician, and\u2063 Morgan \u200cMcSweeney, campaign director for the\u200d Labour Party.<\/p>\n<p>The CCDH has faced criticism for\u200c its\u2063 alleged \u2063influence on the \u2063White House&#8217;s response to COVID-19 disinformation. Former UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, now-president of Meta&#8217;s global affairs, corresponded \u2064with the White House regarding the CCDH&#8217;s Disinformation Dozen report.<\/p>\n<p>The CCDH \u2062has not responded to requests for comment, and the House Judiciary Committee has \u200dgiven them a \u200bdeadline to respond to \u2062their\u2064 subpoena. Critics, such as Mike Benz from\u2062 the Foundation for Freedom Online, have \u2062accused the CCDH of being\u2063 a conduit for British national security and intelligence agency agendas.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">Click here<\/a> \u2063 to read more from the Washington Examiner.<\/p>\n<p>A source close to the House Judiciary Committee revealed that the CCDH has until September 29 to respond to \u2063the subpoena, which requests\u2063 communications between the Executive Branch and CCDH,\u2064 internal CCDH communications discussing Executive Branch communications, and \u200dCCDH communications with third \u2062parties potentially working \u200bwith \u2063the Executive Branch.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Center for Countering Digital Hate \u200cis a conduit for\u2064 laundering British national security state and intelligence \u2063agency agenda items\u2063 through dark arts political operations,&#8221; said Mike Benz, head of the\u2064 censorship watchdog \u200cFoundation for Freedom Online and a former \u200cTrump State Department \u2062official.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What concerns have been raised about \u200cthe objectivity and impartiality\u2064 of the CCDH due \u200bto its affiliations with the British government \u200band board members with political backgrounds?<\/h2>\n<p><span> <\/p>\n<p>In light of \u2064these affiliations, concerns\u200b have been raised about\u200d the\u2064 objectivity\u200c and impartiality \u200bof the \u200cCCDH. Critics argue that the organization&#8217;s ties to \u2064the British government and its board members who have political\u2063 backgrounds could potentially bias its efforts in combating disinformation.<\/p>\n<p>The CCDH has \u200dgained\u2062 attention for \u200dits &#8220;Disinformation Dozen&#8221; report, which identifies social media accounts spreading falsehoods about the \u2062coronavirus. While the report&#8217;s intentions may be well-intentioned, questions have been raised about the methodology and\u200c criteria used\u2064 to identify these accounts. Some argue that the criteria may\u2063 be subjective and that the targeting of specific voices can result in\u2063 suppression of dissenting opinions.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the collaboration between the CCDH and the Biden \u2063administration \u2062in combating \u200calleged COVID-19\u200c disinformation raises concerns about potential \u2062government interference in free speech. As Tom\u200c Jones,\u2063 president of \u200bthe American Accountability Foundation, pointed\u2064 out, giving influence to\u2063 an organization affiliated with a foreign government could have implications for American civil\u2062 liberties.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit filed against \u200dthe CCDH by X (formerly Twitter) also raises doubts about the organization&#8217;s credibility. Accusations of false claims about\u2064 hate speech on the platform undermine\u2062 the organization&#8217;s reputation and\u200d raise questions about\u200b its accuracy in identifying and \u2063combating disinformation.<\/p>\n<p>Despite these concerns, the CCDH has presented itself as an expert in combating disinformation, providing evidence to\u2064 the British Parliament and advocating for social\u200d media\u200b regulations. Its efforts to combat climate denial,\u200b anti-vaxx propaganda, \u200cpolitical misinformation, incel ideology, and racial hatred have been praised by \u2064some who see\u200b a need for stronger measures against these issues.<\/p>\n<p>However, the involvement of board members\u200b with \u2064political backgrounds, such as Damian Collins and\u2064 Kirsty\u200d McNeill, raises the \u2062question \u2063of potential bias in the organization&#8217;s work. Should an organization aiming to combat disinformation have individuals with political affiliations on its board? \u200dThis question remains unanswered \u2064but\u2063 highlights the need\u200c for transparency and independent oversight in the fight against disinformation.<\/p>\n<p>In \u2064conclusion, the affiliations of the Center for Countering Digital Hate with the British government, as well as the composition of its board, have raised concerns about \u2064its \u200cobjectivity and impartiality\u2064 in combating disinformation. \u200bCritics argue that these affiliations may undermine the organization&#8217;s credibility and potentially result in the suppression \u2064of certain voices. As the fight against disinformation continues, it is crucial to ensure transparency, \u200cindependence, and \u2063a commitment to protecting freedom of speech \u2062and\u2064 civil \u2062liberties.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A US charity, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, accused by Republicans of censoring conservative voices online, has been found to have connections with the British government. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), investigating &#8220;censorship,&#8221; subpoenaed the organization as part of his extensive probe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2036911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2036910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2036910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2036910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2036910\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2036911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2036910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2036910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2036910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}