House Panel: US Govt Violated Citizens' Civil Liberties

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Facts

  • A US House Judiciary Committee and Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government accused the Critical Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Agency (CISA) of facilitating the "censorship of Americans directly and through third-party intermediaries" in a report released Monday.1
  • The 41-page report found that the CISA — tasked with protecting critical infrastructure and guarding against cybersecurity threats — had been "exceeding its statutory authority" in its 2016 post-election efforts to monitor social media for misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information.2
  • Citing internal Department of Homeland Security emails and meeting notes, the GOP-led panel alleged that the CISA expanded its monitoring of foreign disinformation to include "all disinformation, including statements made by Americans."3
  • After Pres. Biden took office, the report claimed, the CISA created a formal "mis, dis, and malformation" (MDM) team, hid the "true nature" of its work, and transitioned to "promote more flexibility to focus on general MDM."4
  • The House Panel also alleged that "the federal government coerced and colluded with" Big Tech, third-party groups, and intermediaries to "censor certain viewpoints in ways that undermine First Amendment principles."5
  • Meanwhile, the CISA's executive director Brandon Wells has denied all allegations, saying the agency "does not censor speech or facilitate censorship; any such claims are patently false."3

Sources: 1US Today News, 2CBS, 3Crast, 4FOX News, and 5House Judiciary Committee Republicans.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by Breitbart. Simply labelling something as "misinformation" doesn't mean First Amendment protections no longer apply. The CISA has overstepped its role in regulating domestic election-related speech and must stick to its mission of monitoring foreign misinformation.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by CBS. The CISA is dedicated to reducing risk to US critical infrastructure in a way that protects Americans' freedom of speech, civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy. It has never and will never violate Americans' civil liberties. This is a baseless, partisan, and MAGA-driven investigation.

Predictions