The House Weaponization Subcommittee has uncovered deeply concerning evidence indicating that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has been actively engaged in the censorship of Americans, both directly and through collaboration with third-party intermediaries, during the Biden administration. A newly obtained committee report highlights CISA’s activities leading up to the 2020 and 2022 elections, revealing a disturbing expansion of its mission to surveil Americans’ speech on social media and collude with Big Tech and government-funded entities to engage in censorship by proxy.
According to the report, CISA not only expanded its role to monitor all forms of “disinformation,” including Americans’ speech, but it also exploited its connections with Big Tech and government-funded non-profits to bypass the First Amendment’s prohibition against government-induced censorship. The report alleges that CISA-funded entities established reporting portals to funnel “misinformation” reports from the government directly to social media platforms, effectively silencing certain voices and viewpoints.
Furthermore, the report exposes CISA’s attempts to cover up its unconstitutional activities, including scrubbing its website of references to domestic “misinformation” and “disinformation.” What was initially intended as an agency focused on protecting critical infrastructure and cybersecurity has transformed into the nerve center of the federal government’s surveillance and censorship operations on social media, according to the subcommittee’s findings.
The report also highlights CISA’s creation of a “mis, dis, and malformation” (MDM) team, which continued its activities even after the disbandment of the advisory MDM Subcommittee. The MDM team consisted of individuals with close ties to Big Tech and academic misinformation “experts.” The report raises concerns about CISA’s definition of “malformation,” which involves factual information provided without what the government deems as adequate “context.” This raises questions about the government’s authority to determine the parameters of acceptable speech.
Notably, the report reveals CISA’s attempts to disguise the nature of its work and its concern about public scrutiny. Emails obtained by the committee demonstrate efforts to proactively tell their story and control the narrative, underscoring a lack of transparency. Additionally, the report notes that CISA moved its “censorship operation” to a CISA-funded non-profit, the Center for Internet Security (CIS), following legal challenges. This raises suspicions about using CIS as a mouthpiece to avoid the appearance of government propaganda.
As the committee continues its investigation, it remains clear that CISA has not fully complied with subpoenas for relevant documents, necessitating further fact-finding. The Republican-led investigation, spearheaded by Chairman Jim Jordan, comes as a response to growing concerns about Big Tech censorship and bias against conservative voices. With the commitment to uncovering the truth and informing legislative efforts, the committee will persist in investigating CISA’s entanglement with social media platforms and other executive branch agencies.
It is crucial to safeguard the principles of free speech and protect Americans’ right to express their views without government interference. The report’s findings highlight the urgent need for transparency, accountability, and a reevaluation of the role played by CISA in monitoring and censoring Americans’ speech on social media platforms.
