|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Edited by: TJVNews.com
As the United States approaches its 2024 presidential election, the threat of foreign disinformation campaigns looms large. In response, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other government agencies have quietly resumed coordination with major social media companies to address and mitigate these threats, according to a recently published report in the New York Times. This renewed collaboration marks a significant effort to protect the integrity of the upcoming election amidst escalating interference attempts by foreign adversaries, particularly Russia and Iran.
According to a DOJ memo, the FBI is going to resume its “regular meetings” with social media companies ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
The memo claims the FBI has established new protocols for coordinating with social media companies without violating the 1A. pic.twitter.com/RbAsmqBX8N
— James Lynch (@jameslynch32) July 31, 2024
Earlier this year, after a period of halted communication due to legal challenges, the FBI and other federal agencies reestablished their coordination with social media platforms such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube. As per the information provided in the NYT report, the collaboration, which had been suspended in 2022, resumed in February 2024 under the radar, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that left unresolved questions about the extent to which the government can engage with private companies to combat online misinformation and disinformation.
The legal challenge, brought against the Biden administration, accused the government of overstepping its bounds and engaging in censorship by pressuring social media companies to remove content deemed to be disinformation. However, the NYT report indicated that in June 2024, the Supreme Court rejected this challenge, effectively allowing the government to continue its efforts to counter foreign influence operations online, albeit with lingering questions about First Amendment implications.
Biden FBI to resume colluding with Big Tech after Supreme Court rejects free speech case
A report from the Biden-Harris DOJ contains a memo stating that the FBI ‘will resume regular meetings in the coming weeks with social media companies’ regarding alleged ‘foreign malign… pic.twitter.com/zYFoqGY0HR
— Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) August 3, 2024
The decision to resume communication between the FBI and social media companies was driven by mounting concerns over foreign interference in the 2024 election. Intelligence reports indicated that both Russia and Iran had ramped up their efforts to influence the election outcome through covert disinformation campaigns on social media. As was indicated in the NYT report, these campaigns often aim to sow discord, undermine public confidence in democratic processes, and support specific candidates or policies favorable to the interests of these foreign powers.
In response to these threats, the FBI and other agencies have been actively sharing intelligence with social media platforms to help them identify and remove inauthentic content before it gains traction. The report in the NYT noted that this proactive approach has proven effective in thwarting several influence operations, reinforcing the importance of collaboration between the government and the private sector in safeguarding democratic processes.
The renewed cooperation has already yielded significant results. According to reports from the Department of Justice, the FBI’s engagement with social media companies has led to the successful disruption of two major disinformation campaigns linked to Russia’s propaganda apparatus, as was confirmed in the NYT report.
Last month, X took decisive action by shutting down 968 accounts connected to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and RT, the state-controlled television network. These accounts were identified as part of a broader effort to spread disinformation aimed at influencing public opinion in the United States and other countries.
In another instance, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, acted on a tip from the FBI to remove a network of inauthentic pages and accounts that were actively disparaging Ukraine, Poland, and the European Union, according to the information contained in the NYT report. This network was found to be part of a coordinated effort to undermine support for these entities and to promote narratives aligned with Russian state interests.
Is Social Media Censorship a Thing Again?
The FBI is set to resume regular meetings with social media companies ahead of the 2024 presidential election. @NRO reporter @jameslynch32 tells War Room Co-Host @nataliegwinters how he learned of the story. “We have heard a lot of… pic.twitter.com/3uvkjINNeH
— Real America’s Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) August 1, 2024
The resumption of government-platform coordination to combat disinformation has reignited debates about the balance between national security and free speech. The report in the NYT explained that the June 2024 Supreme Court ruling, while allowing the government to continue its efforts, did not fully address the potential First Amendment concerns raised by critics. Questions remain about the appropriate limits on government influence over private companies in determining what content is permissible on their platforms.
Despite these concerns, proponents argue that the stakes are too high to allow foreign adversaries free rein to manipulate public discourse during a critical election period. As was pointed out in the NYT report, they assert that the collaboration between the government and social media companies is essential to defending the integrity of democratic processes and ensuring that voters can make informed decisions free from foreign manipulation.
The delicate and often contentious relationship between the U.S. government and major social media platforms has undergone significant scrutiny and transformation over the past several years. The report in the NYT revealed that this relationship, once marked by regular and robust collaboration, particularly during the Trump administration, has been redefined by legal challenges, policy shifts, and the need to balance national security with the protection of free speech.
Under former President Trump, coordination between government agencies such as the FBI and social media companies like Meta (formerly Facebook) was a routine aspect of efforts to combat foreign disinformation and other malign online activities. The NYT reported that monthly meetings between government investigators and company officials were a staple, often held at Meta’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California. These interactions facilitated the swift exchange of intelligence, allowing platforms to take timely action against harmful content that threatened national security or public order.
However, the transition to President Joe Biden’s administration marked a significant shift in this dynamic. Shortly after Biden took office, Republican attorneys general from Missouri and Louisiana filed a lawsuit, alleging that the coordination between the government and social media companies amounted to a broad conspiracy aimed at suppressing conservative voices online, as was mentioned in the NYT report. This legal challenge accused the Biden administration of overstepping its authority and engaging in what the plaintiffs described as “the most massive attack against free speech in United States’ history.”
In July 2023, a lower court judge issued a ruling that lent credibility to these accusations, leading the Biden administration to suspend virtually all communication with social media platforms while the case moved through the appeals process. As per the information in the NYT report, this suspension effectively halted the regular exchange of information between government agencies and the companies, raising concerns about the ability to counter foreign influence operations during a critical period leading up to the 2024 presidential election.
FBI and Social Media Companies: A Threat to Free Speech in the 2024 Election?
The recent collaboration between intelligence agencies, including the FBI, and social media companies in preparation for the 2024 election has sparked concerns about potential infringement on free… pic.twitter.com/MOWOUptAVn
— Old School Eddie (@Old_SchoolEddie) May 9, 2024
Amidst the legal battles and growing concerns about foreign interference, the Department of Justice (DOJ) took proactive steps to redefine its interaction with social media companies. In February 2024, the DOJ quietly rewrote its standard operating procedures to provide clearer guidelines on how and when its officials could communicate with these platforms, the NYT report revealed. The revision was part of a broader effort to address the legal challenges while maintaining the government’s ability to share vital intelligence on foreign disinformation campaigns.
The new procedures, which were publicly outlined on the FBI’s website on August 1, 2024, emphasize the importance of respecting the autonomy of social media companies. Indicated in the NYT report was that under these guidelines, FBI agents are explicitly prohibited from exerting any pressure on the platforms to take specific actions based on the information provided. Instead, the decision on how to handle reports of foreign malign influence is left entirely to the discretion of the companies.
This approach is designed to deflect the core accusation of the ongoing legal challenge — that the government had previously coerced social media companies into acting through implicit or explicit threats of retaliation, the NYT report said. By clearly delineating the boundaries of government interaction with these platforms, the DOJ aims to protect the First Amendment rights of users while continuing to combat foreign interference in U.S. elections.
Despite the legal and procedural changes, some level of coordination between the government and social media companies has resumed, albeit in a more limited and cautious manner. David Agranovich, Meta’s director of global threat disruption, acknowledged to the NYT that while the company has received “some limited information” from the FBI and other agencies, they are carefully monitoring for any further developments.
The restrained nature of this renewed coordination reflects the broader caution that now governs these interactions. The report in the NYT noted that both the government and the platforms are acutely aware of the legal and public scrutiny they face, and there is a shared understanding that any perception of overreach could have significant consequences.
Lisa Monaco, the Deputy Attorney General, highlighted the importance of transparency in these efforts during her speech at the American Bar Association’s annual meeting in Chicago on August 2, 2024, according to the NYT report. “While our adversaries try to hide their hand, we show our work because we recognize that transparency about how we conduct this work is as important as the work itself — including how we do so while protecting First Amendment rights,” Monaco stated, as was reported by the NYT.
FBI Ramps Up Censorship Efforts Ahead Of 2024 Election — The FBI is intensifying its coordination with social media companies to censor information ahead of the 2024 presidential election, according to a recent… continue reading at https://t.co/GTfZ1mKwRw pic.twitter.com/yWnFmIKPLP
— Point Report (@realPointReport) August 1, 2024
According to an internal department letter responding to a July inspector general report, FBI agents are now required to include a “standardized caveat” in any communication with these companies. The NYT reported that this caveat explicitly assures the platforms that “the FBI does not request or expect the receiving company to take any particular action based on the shared information.”
This preemptive disclaimer is designed to address concerns that the FBI could be perceived as pressuring social media companies to censor or remove content, a central issue in recent legal and political debates. The report added that by making it clear that the decision to act on shared information rests solely with the companies, the FBI seeks to protect itself from accusations of coercion and uphold the principles of the First Amendment.
Additionally, FBI agents are now required to have “specific, credible, and articulable facts that provide high confidence for assessing that the information at issue relates to activity attributable to a foreign government, foreign nonstate actor, or their proxy” before engaging with social media platforms, according to the information in the NYT report, This requirement emphasizes the need for a solid evidentiary basis before the FBI shares information, ensuring that only well-substantiated threats are communicated to the companies.
These new protocols come at a time when the threat of foreign interference in U.S. elections is growing more sophisticated and persistent. Officials and researchers have repeatedly warned that foreign adversaries, including Russia, Iran, and China, are intensifying their efforts to influence the American political process, as was detailed in the NYT report. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) issued a stark warning in July, highlighting that these nations aim to “undermine democratic institutions, foment discord, and/or change public opinion.”
Recent incidents shed light on the seriousness of these threats. Last week, Microsoft disclosed an attempt by Iranian hackers to breach a U.S. presidential campaign in June. As per the information in the NYT report, while the hack reportedly only accessed publicly available information, the operation reflects Iran’s broader strategy to “amplify existing divisive issues within the U.S., such as racial tensions, economic disparities, and gender-related issues.” Former President Trump, whose campaign was reportedly targeted, acknowledged the incident, commenting that it was “never a nice thing to do!”
The full extent of the hack’s impact on the presidential race remains unclear, but it serves as a reminder of the ongoing efforts by foreign actors to disrupt the U.S. political landscape. These adversaries are increasingly focusing on exploiting social and political fault lines in America, using disinformation and cyber operations to deepen divisions and erode trust in democratic institutions.
While the FBI and other government agencies are adjusting their strategies to counter these threats, the broader effort to combat foreign disinformation has been significantly impacted by legal and political challenges. The Supreme Court case that questioned the extent of government interaction with social media platforms, coupled with investigations by Republicans in Congress and civil lawsuits filed by conservative legal organizations, has had a chilling effect on the once robust cooperation between the government, tech companies, and academic researchers.
In recent years, major social media platforms have shifted their approach to handling disinformation, reflecting broader changes in their operational strategies and corporate philosophies. Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), has publicly committed to creating a platform free from any restrictions on speech, a stance that has significant implications for how disinformation is managed. The NYT reported that despite this commitment, X recently removed a number of accounts that were identified by investigators as inauthentic and linked to foreign disinformation campaigns. The company’s actions highlight the ongoing tension between maintaining a platform for free speech and protecting users from malign foreign influence.
However, this action comes against a backdrop of reduced staffing and resources dedicated to overseeing disinformation on many platforms. As priorities shift, the capacity to monitor and respond to disinformation campaigns may be diminished, raising concerns about the effectiveness of these platforms in the lead-up to the 2024 election, the NYT report said. X’s decision to remove inauthentic accounts, despite its free-speech rhetoric, suggests that platforms are still grappling with how to balance these competing pressures.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) remains the primary agency responsible for countering foreign intelligence operations, including those that target U.S. elections through disinformation. However, other agencies, particularly the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), also play a crucial role in this effort, as was indicated in the NYT report. CISA, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, is tasked with protecting the nation’s voting processes. In a recent statement, CISA emphasized its commitment to sharing any identified threats with private companies, including social media p
latforms. This collaboration is seen as vital to ensuring the security of election infrastructure.
CISA’s statement highlights the importance of engagement with social media companies in safeguarding election integrity. The agency indicated that if it assesses such engagement as critical during the election cycle, it will not hesitate to take action, the NYT report revealed.
One of the significant challenges facing government officials in this fight is the use of “witting and unwitting Americans” by foreign states to spread disinformation. According to a report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), adversaries such as Russia and Iran often rely on American citizens, whether knowingly or unknowingly, to disseminate their messaging through various channels, as per the NYT report. This type of content, originating from U.S. citizens, falls under the protection of the First Amendment, complicating efforts to curb its spread.
The ongoing battle against disinformation is further complicated by legal challenges and changes in government policy. The court challenge brought against the Biden administration by the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) and other conservative organizations has led to significant scrutiny of how the government interacts with social media companies, the NYT report said. This lawsuit, which argued that the government was unlawfully coercing these platforms to censor protected speech, has prompted the Department of Justice (DOJ) to revise its guidelines.
Jenin Younes, a lawyer with the NCLA, remarked that the lawsuit successfully forced reforms within the DOJ. The new guidelines, which prevent government entities from pressuring social media companies to take down content, represent an acknowledgment of past overreach. The NYT report said that Younes noted, “This should have been the government’s approach all along, but better late than never.”
These legal and policy shifts have had a chilling effect on the informal network of research organizations and universities that previously collaborated with the government and social media companies to track disinformation campaigns. The financial burden of legal challenges and the risk of further litigation have led some of these entities to scale back their involvement, weakening the overall effort to combat disinformation.
The landscape of disinformation and the measures to counter it are in flux as the 2024 election approaches. Social media platforms and government agencies are adapting to new legal realities, shifting priorities, and evolving threats from foreign adversaries. While the FBI, CISA, and other agencies continue to work with platforms to protect election integrity, the effectiveness of these efforts may be hindered by reduced resources, legal constraints, and the complex challenge of balancing free speech with national security.
