Staff Reports
Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, recently spoke out against what he believes is the most concerning form of government censorship. He identified the Department of State’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) as the “threat to our democracy”. His remarks were in response to an article by independent journalist Matt Taibbi, which was published on January 3.
https://t.co/BcFhHCvjAE February, 2020, as COVID broke out, the Global Engagement Center – a fledgling analytic/intelligence arms of the State Department – went to the media with a report called, “Russian Disinformation Apparatus Taking Advantage of Coronavirus Concerns.” pic.twitter.com/KjUeE8vejt
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 3, 2023
4.The GEC flagged accounts as “Russian personas and proxies” based on criteria like, “Describing the Coronavirus as an engineered bioweapon,” blaming “research conducted at the Wuhan institute,” and “attributing the appearance of the virus to the CIA.” pic.twitter.com/a4xBotQZ2m
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 3, 2023
11.The GEC report appeared based on DHS data circulated earlier that week, and included accounts that followed “two or more” Chinese diplomatic accounts. They reportedly ended up with a list “nearly 250,000” names long, and included Canadian officials and a CNN account: pic.twitter.com/GYi4YuPdyu
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 3, 2023
In the article, Taibbi labeled the GEC as a “fledgling analytic/intelligence arms of the State Department” and noted that it had taken a Russian disinformation report to media and flagged certain accounts as “Russian personas and proxies” based on a dubious list of criteria. He further highlighted how the GEC wanted to “insert themselves” into content moderation on the social media site. Musk agreed with Taibbi’s assessment and argued that this was the line they fed the media about him.
The GEC’s mission is outlined on its website as “direct, lead, synchronize, integrate, and coordinate U.S. Federal Government efforts to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations.” This mission statement has been met with criticism from Musk and other individuals who believe it is a form of censorship.
Musk’s comments have sparked a debate about the role of the GEC in government censorship. While some argue that it is necessary for national security, others believe it is a violation of free speech. Regardless of one’s stance on the issue, it is clear that Musk’s words have brought attention to this agency and its activities.
The GEC is an agency that has largely flown under the radar until now. However, due to Musk’s comments, it has become a topic of conversation among many Americans. It remains to be seen how this agency will be viewed in the future, but it is certain that Musk’s words have shed light on its activities and sparked a debate about its role in government censorship.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Townhall
