The following article is a supplement to the MRC Report: The Biden Administration Waged War on Free Speech with 57 Censorship Initiatives.
Initiative #2: Collusion with the Counter Disinformation Unit
Type of Censorship: Partnership
Agencies Involved:
- Department of Homeland Security
- Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
- Executive Office of the President
- National Security Council (NSC)
Summary:
Under President Joe Biden, the National Security Council (NSC) conducted extensive collaboration with the United Kingdom (U.K.)’s Counter Disinformation Unit (CDU), a foreign government censorship agency. The NSC worked to model the structure and strategy of American censorship efforts on what had been proven most effective in the U.K., and pledged to cooperate with the U.K. to target speech in each other’s countries. The NSC then worked with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to implement the CDU’s strategies domestically.
Key Individuals:
- Jen Easterly, CISA Director
- Lauren Protentis, CISA Engagements Lead / NSC Director of Foreign Malign Influence & National Security Communications
- Brian Scully, CISA Chief of the Mis, Dis & Malinformation Team / NSC Advisor
- Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor
