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Disinformation Governance Board

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DHS Disinformation Governance Board
Board overview
Formed2022
JurisdictionUnited States
HeadquartersDHS Nebraska Avenue Complex, Washington, D.C.
Board executive
Parent departmentDepartment of Homeland Security
Websitewww.dhs.gov

The Disinformation Governance Board is a United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) board announced on April 27, 2022 during a 2023 budget hearing before the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. Its aim is protecting national security by combating foreign misinformation and disinformation. Specific problem areas mentioned include false information propagated by human smugglers encouraging migrants to surge to the Mexico–United States border, as well as Russian-state disinformation on election interference, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and COVID-19 vaccines.[1] In a statement, the DHS said the board would "protect privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties" as part of its duties.[1][2]

Background

On April 28, 2022, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the board is the "continuation of work that began in the DHS in 2020 under former President Trump".[3] The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has previously addressed the spread of what they referred to as "mis-, dis-, and malinformation". The DHS has declined requests to clarify the scope of the new Disinformation Governance Board.[4]

Nina Jankowicz in 2019

After the board was formed, Nina Jankowicz was named executive director. She was previously a fellow at the Wilson Center, advised the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry as part of the Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship, oversaw Russia and Belarus programs at the National Democratic Institute, and wrote the book How to Lose the Information War: Russia, Fake News, and the Future of Conflict.[5][6][7] Robert P. Silvers and Jennifer Daskal were also named to hold leadership positions on the board.[5]

Reception and criticism

Republican lawmakers and pundits criticized the board after its formation, with some calling for it to be disbanded. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) opined that "Homeland Security has decided to make policing Americans' speech its top priority".[1] Some critics, including Florida governor Ron DeSantis[8] and former Democratic representative for Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard,[9] likened the board to the Ministry of Truth, a fictional governmental department in George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.[10][4]

Jankowicz's appointment to the board was criticized by Republicans, including for her past support of Democrats and her skepticism of the provenance of Hunter Biden's laptop; Jankowicz had previously said that "we should view [the laptop] as a Trump campaign product".[4] The Washington Examiner reported on and levied criticism against, Jankowicz's praise of Christopher Steele (author of the Steele dossier, which the Examiner deemed "discredited") for his views on disinformation during an August 2020 podcast.[11] Writing for National Review, Jim Geraghty noted the board's potential to dispel information disseminated by human smugglers on the southern border, as well as monitoring messages from terrorist and extremist groups, but objected to Jankowicz's appointment.[4][12] In a press conference, Jen Psaki defended Jankowicz's appointment to the board, stating that Jankowicz is "an expert on online disinformation... this is a person with extensive qualifications."[13][14]

DHS secretary Alejandro Mayorkas later acknowledged his department could have done a better job of communicating the purpose of the new board, but asserted the Republican criticisms were "precisely the opposite" of what it would do. He stated the board would have no operational authority or capability but would collect best practices for dissemination to organizations tasked with defending against foreign threats. He asserted the board would not monitor American citizens.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Seitz, Amanda (April 28, 2022). "Disinformation board to tackle Russia, migrant smugglers". Associated Press. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  2. ^ Jankowicz, Nina [@wiczipedia] (April 27, 2022). "Here's my official portrait to grab your attention. Now that I've got it: a HUGE focus of our work, and indeed, one of the key reasons the Board was established, is to maintain the Dept's committment to protecting free speech, privacy, civil rights, & civil liberties" (Tweet). Retrieved April 29, 2022 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Willis, Haisten (April 29, 2022). "DHS disinformation board is continuation of Trump effort, White House says". Washington Examiner. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Blake, Aaron (April 29, 2022). "The tempest over DHS's Disinformation Governance Board". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Johnson, Bridget (April 27, 2022). "DHS Standing Up Disinformation Governance Board Led by Information Warfare Expert". Homeland Security Today. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  6. ^ "Nina Jankowicz". wilsoncenter.org. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  7. ^ Daniels, Eugene; Bade, Rachael; Lizza, Ryan (April 27, 2022). "POLITICO Playbook: Fauci pulls out of WHCD. Is Biden next?". Politico. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  8. ^ Getahun, Hannah (April 30, 2022). "DeSantis calls DHS Disinformation Governance Board a 'belated April Fool's joke'". Business Insider. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  9. ^ Jackson, Jon (April 29, 2022). "Tulsi Gabbard Compares Biden Admin to Dictatorship Over 'Ministry of Truth'". Newsweek. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  10. ^ Jackson, Jon (April 29, 2022). "Joe Biden's Disinformation Board Likened to Orwell's 'Ministry of Truth'". Newsweek. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  11. ^ Dunleavy, Jerry (April 28, 2022). "Biden 'disinformation' chief a Trump dossier author fan and Hunter Biden laptop doubter". Washington Examiner. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  12. ^ Geraghty, Jim (April 28, 2022). "Are You Ready for the DHS 'Disinformation Governance Board'?". National Review. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  13. ^ Sunnucks, Mike (April 29, 2022). "Ministry of Truth or needed social media watchdog? Biden's Disinformation Governance Board". Herald and News. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  14. ^ "Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, April 29, 2022". whitehouse.gov. White House. April 29, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  15. ^ Mayorkas: Disinformation board won't monitor American citizens. CNN. May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
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