 | |
| Board overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | March 2, 2022; 3 years ago (2022-03-02) |
| Dissolved | August 24, 2022; 3 years ago (2022-08-24) |
| Jurisdiction | United States |
| Headquarters | DHSNebraska Avenue Complex,Washington, D.C. |
| Parent department | Department of Homeland Security |
| Website | dhs |
TheDisinformation Governance Board (DGB) was anadvisory board of theUnited States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), established and disbanded in 2022. The board's stated function was to protect national security by disseminating guidance to DHS agencies on combatingmisinformation,malinformation, anddisinformation that threatens the security of the homeland. Specific problem areas mentioned by the DHS included false information propagated byhuman smugglers encouraging migrants to surge to theMexico–United States border, as well as Russian-state disinformation on election interference and the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1][2][3]
Following what theAssociated Press called a "bungled rollout"[4] and criticism fromRepublican lawmakers of what they saw as the board's threat tofreedom of speech,[5] the board and its working groups were "paused" pending review, and the board's headNina Jankowicz resigned in May 2022.[3][5] In August 2022, Department of Homeland Security SecretaryAlejandro Mayorkas disbanded the board.[6]
The Disinformation Governance Board was announced and revealed to the public by the DHS on April 27, 2022, during a 2023 budget hearing before theUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security.[1] The board had begun operating approximately two months prior to the announcement. The DHS had decided to form the board in 2021 after conducting research that recommended creating a group to "review questions of privacy and civil liberty for online content".[2] TheCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has previously addressed the spread of what they referred to as "mis-, dis-, andmalinformation", as well as addressingRussian disinformation as part of their election security efforts in 2020.[7][8] CISA directorChris Krebs was fired by President Trump in November 2020 for refutingTrump's false claims of election fraud.[9]
After the board was announced,Nina Jankowicz was named executive director. She was previously a fellow at theWilson Center, advised theUkrainian Foreign Ministry as part of the Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship, oversaw Russia and Belarus programs at theNational Democratic Institute, and wrote the bookHow to Lose the Information War: Russia, Fake News, and the Future of Conflict.[10][11][12]Robert P. Silvers andJennifer Daskal were also named to hold leadership positions on the board.[10] On May 18, Jankowicz resigned from her role as executive director.[3][5]
According to DHS officials, the board would serve as an advisory body and help coordinate anti-disinformation efforts throughout the department.[13]Alejandro Mayorkas, theSecretary of Homeland Security, stated that the board would have no operational authority or capability but would collectbest practices for dissemination to DHS organizations already tasked with defending against disinformation threats,[14] and asserted the board would not monitor American citizens.[15] John Cohen, the former acting head of the intelligence branch of the DHS, said that the board would study policy questions, best practices, and academic research on disinformation, and then submit guidance to the DHS secretary on how different DHS agencies should conduct analysis of online content.[2]
On May 2, 2022, the DHS released a statement which said that the board would monitor disinformation spread by "foreign states such as Russia, China, and Iran" and "transnational criminal organizations and human smuggling organizations", and disinformation spread duringnatural disasters (listing as an example misinformation spread about the safety of drinking water duringHurricane Sandy). The DHS added that "The Department is deeply committed to doing all of its work in a way that protects Americans' freedom of speech, civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy."[2][16]
On May 9, 2022, the DGB announced that it would provide quarterly reports to theUnited States Congress.[4]
TheAssociated Press noted that the "little credible information about the new Disinformation Governance Board" made it "an instant target for criticism", leading to a "bungled rollout" and "rocky start" for the board.[4]Taylor Lorenz, writing forThe Washington Post, described the board as falling victim to "a textbook disinformation campaign" about their mission, citing failures by DHS to communicate with relevant congressional entities, to respond to criticism of the board's name and its unclear mission, and to defend against right-wing criticism of Jankowicz.[3]
Conservatives said the board would be used as a tool byDemocrats to restrictfreedom of speech.[7][14]Republican lawmakers and pundits quickly criticized the board after it was announced, with some calling for it to be disbanded. SenatorJosh Hawley of Missouri said that "Homeland Security has decided to make policing Americans' speech its top priority".[1] SenatorMitt Romney of Utah called the board a "terrible idea" that "communicates to the world that we're going to be spreading propaganda in our own country", arguing that it should be disbanded.[4][17] Some critics, including Florida governorRon DeSantis[18] and former Democratic representative for Hawaii,Tulsi Gabbard, compared the board to theMinistry of Truth, from George Orwell's dystopian novelNineteen Eighty-Four.[7][14] A group of Republican state attorneys general led byJason Miyares of Virginia threatened legal action unless DHS disbanded the board, which Miyares described as "Orwellian".[5] Republican congressmenMike Turner of Ohio andJohn Katko of New York wrote that "Given the complete lack of information about this new initiative and the potential serious consequences of a government entity identifying and responding to 'disinformation,' we have serious concerns about the activities of this new Board".[4]
Jankowicz's appointment as head of the board drew criticism from congressional Republicans[7][19] along with right-wing media outlets[20][21] and influencers.[3] Conservative pundits and social media users spread conspiracy theories about the board's purpose, including the false claim that Jankowicz planned to editTwitter posts by ordinary users.[5] Critics took issue with Jankowicz's past social media comments expressing support for Democrats, praising efforts to crack down onCOVID-19 misinformation, doubting the origin of theHunter Biden laptop controversy, debating the origins of theChristopher Steele dossier, and her negative response to theacquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk.[7][17][22] Jankowicz had suggested in 2020 that Hunter Biden's laptop could be part of aRussian disinformation campaign; a group of former senior intelligence officials had also called the laptop "deeply suspicious".[22] Jankowicz later said that her remarks had been taken out of context.[20][21][23]
Writing forNational Review,Jim Geraghty lauded 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.[7][24] Biden's press secretaryJen Psaki defended Jankowicz's appointment to the board, calling her "an expert on online disinformation [...] a person with extensive qualifications".[25][26]
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 that the board would have no operational authority or capability and would not monitor American citizens.[15] On May 3, 2022, Mayorkas appeared before theSenate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, and responded to criticism the board received from Republican lawmakers. He vowed to work on building greater public trust in the board, and said that "The Department of Homeland Security is not going to be the truth police. That is the farthest thing from the truth. We protect the security of the homeland."[27][28]
Benjamin Hart, writing for the websiteIntelligencer, said that "presenting anyone from the government as an arbiter of truth in 2022 — much less defining 'disinformation' in a way that more than 40 percent of the population would agree with — seemed doomed from the get-go."[29] Lev Golinkin, writing in the progressive magazineThe Nation, highlighted Jankowicz's previous association with the fact-checking organizationStopFake, which Golinkin accused of defending the UkrainianAzov Battalion andS14 groups, the latter of which is known for its violent attacks againstRomani people.[30][31] Progressive news organizationsCommon Dreams andFairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) criticized mainstream media coverage of the board, saying that it ignoredleft-wing criticism of the board and past human rights abuses and violence by the DHS and other agencies under the DHS, including violence againstimmigrants,Muslims,Black Lives Matter protestors, and other activists.[32][33] Joe Lancaster, editor of the libertarian magazineReason, called the board a potential threat to freedom of speech, and also highlighted Jankowicz's comments regarding the Biden laptop story.[34]Techdirt argued that "The biggest problem with [the board] is that it is impossible, right now, to even know whether it's a good idea or not, because it is so unclear what this board is intended to do." and that "its name does not inspire confidence."[35]Ayaan Hirsi Ali ofUnHerd compared the board to Woodrow Wilson'sSedition Act of 1918, which convicted 877 people who dissented against the U.S. government.[36] Kevin Goldberg, a specialist in theFirst Amendment at the non-partisanFreedom Forum, said that it was "wrong and concerning" that a government agency with enforcement powers created in response to9/11 would become involved in decisions surrounding speech.[28]The American Conservative called the board "a cautionary note on how dangerously out of touch Washington is."[37]
Jankowicz appeared on the CNN programReliable Sources, during which she described the board as a "victim of disinformation", saying its purpose had been misrepresented by Republicans and thefar left, and that she herself had been the subject of disproportionate media attention.[38] On August 24, 2022, Mayorkas disbanded the board.[6]
Quotations from Wikiquote
