May 20, 2022
image source,Getty Images
The new U.S. Anti-Disinformation Task Force is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decided to “suspend” the much-controversial anti-disinformation task force just three weeks after launching the Disinformation Management Committee.
Critics have lashed out at it, warning that such a government agency would be used to censor free speech.
On Wednesday (May 18), the director of the commission, Nina Jankowicz, announced her resignation, citing “despicable personal attacks and threats”.
In a statement, she said the future of the Disinformation Stewardship Council was “not certain.”
worry and protest
Since its establishment on April 27, the working group has sparked massive protests, mainly from the right-wing and civil society.
According to DHS officials, the task force was created to study best practices for dealing with the harmful effects of disinformation, coordinate and regulate disinformation-related efforts, and help DHS combat viral infections that could threaten U.S. domestic security. Lies and propaganda.
The Department of Homeland said it will ensure that the purpose of the task force is “to protect free speech, civil rights, civil liberties and privacy.”
But civil liberties and human rights groups such as the Defense of Democracy and Electronic Frontier Foundation have objected, arguing that the group’s mandate is unclear, and issued a warning shortly after the group’s formation last month that the Department of Homeland Security is arguing over privacy and speech. “Poor track record” on liberty rights.
Moderates and more right-leaning Republicans have also expressed concern that the work of the committee could be a weapon against conservatives now that the U.S. is running a Democratic government.
Critics also derided the committee as a “Ministry of Truth,” borrowing a phrase from George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984.”
“Incorrect timing”
image source,Nina Jankowicz / Twitter
Nina Jankowicz, head of the U.S. Anti-Disinformation Task Force, resigned this week
Amid opposition to the task force, its leader, Ms. Jankowitz, 33, who has been hailed by the Biden administration as an expert in the fight against disinformation, has become the focus of cyberattacks and taunts.
Social media users attacked her politically left-leaning and mocked a song she posted on TikTok about disinformation.
DHS leadership has been forced to repeatedly defend the committee’s work amid criticism from multiple quarters.
In testimony before the U.S. Senate earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas assured lawmakers that the panel was not “truth-checking police,” but acknowledged the committee’s introduction The timing was poor, causing confusion.
A spokesman for the US Department of Homeland told the BBC that the task force had now been suspended, saying that “aggressive attacks on matters outside the focus of the task force have become an important factor affecting normal work”.
The Department of Homeland also stated that the purpose of establishing the committee was deliberately and greatly altered. This committee was not established at all to censor speech or monitor speech in any way. Quite the contrary: “Its purpose is to ensure that we fulfill our mission to protect the homeland while protecting core constitutional rights.”
An internal advisory committee will now review the committee’s work and make recommendations on its next steps within 75 days.
“Ministry of Truth” in the novel “1984”
1984 is a political novel published in 1949 by the famous British author George Orwell.
Oceania in the novel has only four departments, namely the Ministry of Friendship, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Wealth and the Ministry of Truth. But contrary to their names, the Ministry of Friendship is responsible for torture, the Ministry of Peace is responsible for war, the Ministry of Wealth is responsible for starving people, and the Ministry of Truth is responsible for tampering with news and history.
Among the four departments, the Ministry of Truth has the most work descriptions and is therefore the most familiar to readers. The Ministry of Truth selects a large amount of news every day and then modifies it according to the needs of Big Brother.
Some commentators believe that the US government’s working group aimed at dealing with disinformation has not yet officially operated, and its leader resigned due to a cyber attack, which just shows the power of information in today’s society and the need to deal with disinformation.