The following article is a supplement to the MRC Report: The Biden Administration Waged War on Free Speech with 57 Censorship Initiatives.
Initiative #4: Switchboarding
Type of Censorship: Partnership
Agencies Involved:
- Department of Homeland Security
- Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
Summary:
One of several censorship initiatives conducted out of the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Agency was the process known as “switchboarding.” Both before and after the 2020 election — including well into the Biden administration — CISA would encourage local officials, such as county clerks, to highlight for CISA social media speech the local officials disapproved of. CISA would then flag the posts and send complaints directly to leadership of Big Tech platforms such as Facebook (now Meta) and Twitter (now X) with the DHS stamp of approval on it.
In a 2023 congressional hearing, CISA Director Jen Easterly falsely claimed: “We don’t flag anything to social media organizations.”
Key Individuals:
- Jen Easterly, CISA Director
- Chris Krebs, CISA Director
- Laurne 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
- Brandon Wales, Acting CISA Director
