{"id":2267545,"date":"2024-06-14T04:01:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T08:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-department-wont-say-if-its-colluding-with-big-tech-to-censor-speech-ahead-of-2024-election\/"},"modified":"2024-06-14T04:06:32","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T08:06:32","slug":"state-department-wont-say-if-its-colluding-with-big-tech-to-censor-speech-ahead-of-2024-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-department-wont-say-if-its-colluding-with-big-tech-to-censor-speech-ahead-of-2024-election\/","title":{"rendered":"State Department Silent on Potential Big Tech Collaboration for Speech Censorship Before 2024 Election"},"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\">28<\/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%2Fstate-department-wont-say-if-its-colluding-with-big-tech-to-censor-speech-ahead-of-2024-election%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=2267545&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--><p>The\u2064 State\u200d Department \u200chas not confirmed whether it is collaborating with Big Tech\u200d platforms\u2062 to censor online speech ahead of the\u200b 2024 election. This inquiry emerged following the creation\u2063 of\u200c the\u2064 Ukraine Communications Group \u200c(UCG) by the U.S. and Poland, which aims to\u2062 counter Russian disinformation about the\u2062 invasion of Ukraine. The \u2062group, \u200cwhich includes members from NATO states, focuses on \u200dpromoting accurate reporting and \u2064countering information manipulation by the Kremlin. Although the State Department&#8217;s\u2062 own Global Engagement Center \u200d(GEC) \u2064has previously facilitated the development of censorship\u2062 tools targeting primarily\u2062 conservative speech, a State Department spokesman asserted that \u200cthe UCG will not involve collaboration\u200b with private technology or social media companies. \u2062Additionally, \u2062the \u2063FBI\u2064 confirmed its\u200b communication with social media \u2062platforms in preparation for the 2024 election, but other government \u200cagencies like the Cybersecurity\u200c and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have not commented on such collaborations. Meanwhile, federal government&#8217;s previous efforts\u2063 to influence public discourse through entities like the Election Integrity Partnership, which involved censoring online content during the\u200d 2020 election, have continued to\u200b face scrutiny and\u2064 legal challenges.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>The State Department is refusing to say whether it is communicating with Big Tech platforms to censor free speech online leading up to the 2024 election. <\/p>\n<p>The agency\u2019s silence on the matter came after The Federalist asked about a new working group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/the-united-states-and-poland-announce-new-ukraine-communications-group\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">launched<\/a> by the United States and Poland on Monday that seeks to counter Russian \u201cdisinformation\u201d about Moscow\u2019s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Called the \u201cUkraine Communications Group (UCG),\u201d the body will involve the two aforementioned countries and representatives from NATO states, and work to \u201ccoordinate messaging, promote accurate reporting of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion, amplify Ukrainian voices, and expose Kremlin information manipulation.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1927882675\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-fc95d3ff8c30e0527a6f1cb3ce03d0e1 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-fc95d3ff8c30e0527a6f1cb3ce03d0e1\"><\/div>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/poland-us-ukraine-disinformation-war-1da53518252ce6a123f2fcf2cade6bd2#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>, James Rubin, the special envoy and coordinator for the State Department\u2019s Global Engagement Center (GEC), was involved with and attended the UCG\u2019s inaugural launch in Warsaw. As The Federalist\u2019s Margot Cleveland previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/04\/19\/meet-the-shadowy-group-that-ran-the-federal-governments-censorship-scheme\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explained<\/a>, GEC \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/03\/13\/newsguard-claims-not-to-be-government-funded-but-a-750k-grant-suggests-otherwise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">funded<\/a> the development of censorship tools\u201d that work to silence (primarily conservative) speech online and\u00a0\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/04\/11\/government-is-marketing-censorship-tools-to-big-tech-to-gag-conservatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">used<\/a> \u2018government employees to act as sales reps pitching \u2026 censorship products to Big Tech.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Notably, Rubin and the GEC are named defendants in a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/12\/06\/state-of-texas-joins-the-federalist-daily-wire-in-suing-the-federal-censorship-industrial-complex\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lawsuit<\/a> filed by The Federalist, The Daily Wire, and the state of Texas in December to stop the federal government\u2019s censorship operations.<\/p>\n<p>When pressed by The Federalist on whether the UCG or its participating members \u2014 including the State Department and GEC \u2014 will be collaborating\u00a0with Big Tech and social media companies to censor what they deem to be \u201cRussian disinformation,\u201d a State Department spokesman claimed the working group \u201cis a coordination mechanism between governments and will not involve collaboration with private technology companies or social media companies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe UCG member states intend to work together to unify our communication efforts and ensure the world hears Ukraine\u2019s story and never forgets the Kremlin\u2019s ongoing efforts to wipe Ukraine off the map and subjugate its people,\u201d the representative said. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a8008115f120d098ee1b20eba7a6199e fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a8008115f120d098ee1b20eba7a6199e\"><\/div>\n<p>However, when subsequently pressed on whether the State Department or GEC are collaborating or plan to collaborate with Big Tech and social media companies outside of their work with the UCG to counter so-called \u201cdisinformation,\u201d the spokesman did not respond to The Federalist\u2019s request for comment. <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the FBI <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/08\/fbi-confirms-its-restarting-online-censorship-efforts-ahead-of-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">confirmed<\/a> to The Federalist last month it has resumed communications with social media platforms ahead of the 2024 election. The <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/cisa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)<\/a> \u2014 another wing of the government\u2019s censorship-industrial complex \u2014 declined to comment<strong> <\/strong>when asked about its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextgov.com\/cybersecurity\/2024\/05\/cisa-fbi-resuming-talks-social-media-firms-over-disinformation-removal-senate-intel-chair-says\/396360\/?oref=ng-next-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">alleged resumed communications<\/a> with Big Tech.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">GEC\u2019s Censorious Past<\/h2>\n<p>GEC has acted as a critical component of the federal government\u2019s orchestrated campaign to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/caitlyn-jenner-defends-dave-chappelle-hes-100-right\/\" title=\"Caitlyn Jenner Defends Dave Chappelle: He\u2019s \u2018100% Right\u2019\">silence free speech<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Through GEC, the State Department funded the\u00a0U.K.-based <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/02\/10\/expose-reveals-shadowy-left-wing-network-works-to-censor-deplatform-conservatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Global Disinformation Index<\/a> (GDI), a so-called \u201cdisinformation\u201d tracking organization \u201cworking to blacklist and defund conservative news sites,\u201d including The Federalist. As Victoria Marshall previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/02\/10\/expose-reveals-shadowy-left-wing-network-works-to-censor-deplatform-conservatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> in these pages, GDI\u2019s \u201cshadowy network of tracking groups labels the content on these independent news sites as disinformation so brands will not offer ads on their sites.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a2f886a52e9d9d91a3c9e05db52ec1b5 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a2f886a52e9d9d91a3c9e05db52ec1b5\"><\/div>\n<p>The goal, as described by Marshall, is \u201cto financially hurt independent publications and ultimately prevent them from disseminating content.\u201d Other non-leftist media outlets GDI\u2019s 2022 \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.disinformationindex.org\/research\/2022-10-21-brief-disinformation-risk-in-the-united-states-online-media-market-october-2022\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">exclusion list<\/a>\u201d labeled as the \u201criskiest\u201d pushers of supposed \u201cdisinformation\u201d include The Daily Wire, RealClearPolitics, and Newsmax. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/newsguard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NewsGuard<\/a> \u2014 another \u201cdisinformation\u201d tracking group <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/03\/13\/newsguard-claims-not-to-be-government-funded-but-a-750k-grant-suggests-otherwise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">with<\/a> a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/07\/22\/newsguard-downgrades-fox-news-while-rating-hunter-biden-story-censors-with-perfect-credibility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">history<\/a> of\u00a0assigning <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/03\/18\/left-wing-rating-agency-grades-media-that-botched-hunter-biden-story-with-100-percent-credibility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bogus ratings<\/a> to news organizations \u2014 has also <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/04\/19\/meet-the-shadowy-group-that-ran-the-federal-governments-censorship-scheme\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">received<\/a> federal grant money through an initiative sponsored by GEC. <\/p>\n<p>An <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/11\/07\/government-censorship-op-targeted-the-federalists-mollie-hemingway-sean-davis-during-2020-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">interim report<\/a> released by House Republicans in November revealed GEC\u2019s censorship efforts in U.S. elections. According to that analysis, GEC \u2014 along with CISA\u00a0\u2014 colluded with Stanford University to pressure Big Tech companies into censoring what they claimed to be \u201cdisinformation\u201d during the 2020 contest.<\/p>\n<p>At the heart of this operation was the <a href=\"https:\/\/judiciary.house.gov\/sites\/evo-subsites\/republicans-judiciary.house.gov\/files\/evo-media-document\/EIP_Jira_Ticket_Staff_Report_11-6-23_Clean.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Election Integrity Partnership (EIP)<\/a>, \u201ca consortium of \u2018disinformation\u2019 academics\u201d spearheaded by the Stanford Internet Observatory that coordinated with DHS and GEC \u201cto monitor and censor Americans\u2019 online speech\u201d ahead of the 2020 election.<\/p>\n<p>Created \u201cat the request\u201d of CISA, EIP allowed federal officials to \u201claunder [their] censorship activities in hopes of bypassing both the First Amendment and public scrutiny.\u201d As documented in the interim report, this operation <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/11\/07\/government-censorship-op-targeted-the-federalists-mollie-hemingway-sean-davis-during-2020-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attempted<\/a> to censor \u201ctrue information, jokes and satire, and political opinions\u201d and submitted flagged posts from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-public-university-uva-spent-nearly-541-per-minute-for-ibram-kendi-racial-equity-lecture\/\" title=\"EXCLUSIVE: Public University UVA Spent Nearly 1 Per Minute For Ibram Kendi \u2018Racial Equity\u2019 Lecture\">prominent conservative figures<\/a> to Big Tech companies for censorship. Among those targeted were The Federalist\u2019s Mollie Hemingway and Sean Davis.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will SCOTUS Save the Day?<\/h2>\n<p>Federal agencies\u2019 ability to continue coordination with Big Tech to censor posts they deem unfavorable was made possible due to an October ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in a case known as <em>Murthy v. Missouri<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>In that case, which was filed in 2022, the then-attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana alleged that the federal government\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/07\/07\/12-times-the-biden-white-house-colluded-with-big-tech-to-throttle-free-speech-according-to-missouri-v-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pressuring<\/a> of social media companies to censor free speech online constitutes a violation of the First Amendment. U.S. District Court Judge Terry Doughty\u00a0agreed and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/07\/05\/judge-bars-biden-administration-from-colluding-with-big-tech-to-censor-free-speech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issued<\/a> a preliminary injunction on July 4, 2023, barring federal agencies from colluding with Big Tech to censor posts they don\u2019t like.<\/p>\n<p>Despite being later <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/10\/05\/fifth-circuit-corrects-critical-error-in-prior-ruling-to-shut-down-deep-state-censorship-tactic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">upheld<\/a> by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, SCOTUS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.govexec.com\/oversight\/2023\/10\/supreme-court-ends-restrictions-federal-agency-contacts-social-media-firms\/391434\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lifted<\/a> the 5th Circuit\u2019s injunction without explanation in October. (The 5th Circuit\u2019s injunction <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.ca5.214640\/gov.uscourts.ca5.214640.238.1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">excluded<\/a> the State Department, with the court\u2019s majority claiming Doughty \u201cerred in finding that \u2026 State Department Officials likely violated Plaintiffs\u2019 First Amendment rights.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>In his dissent, Associate Justice Samuel Alito <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/10\/23\/supreme-court-temporarily-green-lights-biden-admin-conspiring-with-big-tech-censors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">espoused<\/a> fears that the high court\u2019s \u201cunfortunate\u201d decision \u201cwill be seen by some as giving the Government a green light to use heavy-handed tactics to skew the presentation of views on the medium that increasingly dominates the dissemination of news.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe injunction applies only when the Government crosses the line and begins to coerce or control others\u2019 exercise of their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/justice-thomas-suggests-section-230-may-be-unconstitutional\/\" title=\"Justice Thomas Suggests Section 230 May Be Unconstitutional\">free-speech rights<\/a>,\u201d Alito wrote. \u201cDoes the Government think that the First Amendment allows Executive Branch officials to engage in such conduct? Does it have plans for this to occur between now and the time when this case is decided?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alito was joined in his dissent by Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch. <\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court is expected to issue a final verdict in <em>Murthy v. Missouri<\/em> this month. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-cee43275720d816e76fd2ac671daec90 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-cee43275720d816e76fd2ac671daec90\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The State Department remains silent on whether it&#8217;s coordinating with Big Tech to censor online speech before the 2024 election. This follows inquiries about a U.S.-Poland initiative started Monday aimed at countering misinformation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2267546,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/800px-Social_Media_Marketing_Strategy.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2267545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/800px-Social_Media_Marketing_Strategy.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267545","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\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2267545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2267546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2267545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2267545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2267545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}