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Disinformation Governance Board
The Disinformation Governance Board (DGB) was an advisory board of the United 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 combating misinformation, malinformation, and disinformation that threatens the security of the homeland. Specific problem areas mentioned by the DHS included false information propagated by human smugglers encouraging migrants to surge to the Mexico–United States border, as well as Russian-state disinformation on election interference and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Following what the Associated Press called a "bungled rollout" and criticism from Republican lawmakers of what they saw as the board's threat to freedom of speech, the board and its working groups were "paused" pending review, and the board's head Nina Jankowicz resigned in May 2022. In August 2022, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas disbanded the board.
The Disinformation Governance Board was announced and revealed to the public by the DHS on April 27, 2022, during a 2023 budget hearing before the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. 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". The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has previously addressed the spread of what they referred to as "mis-, dis-, and malinformation", as well as addressing Russian disinformation as part of their election security efforts in 2020. CISA director Chris Krebs was fired by President Trump in November 2020 for refuting Trump's false claims of election fraud.
After the board was announced, Nina Jankowicz was named executive director. She was previously a fellow at the Wilson Center, advised the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry as part of the Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship, oversaw Russia and Belarus programs at the National Democratic Institute, and wrote the book How to Lose the Information War: Russia, Fake News, and the Future of Conflict. Robert P. Silvers and Jennifer Daskal were also named to hold leadership positions on the board. On May 18, Jankowicz resigned from her role as executive director.
According to DHS officials, the board would serve as an advisory body and help coordinate anti-disinformation efforts throughout the department. Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, stated that the board would have no operational authority or capability but would collect best practices for dissemination to DHS organizations already tasked with defending against disinformation threats, and asserted the board would not monitor American citizens. 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.
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 during natural disasters (listing as an example misinformation spread about the safety of drinking water during Hurricane 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."
On May 9, 2022, the DGB announced that it would provide quarterly reports to the United States Congress.
The Associated 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. Taylor Lorenz, writing for The 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.
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Disinformation Governance Board
The Disinformation Governance Board (DGB) was an advisory board of the United 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 combating misinformation, malinformation, and disinformation that threatens the security of the homeland. Specific problem areas mentioned by the DHS included false information propagated by human smugglers encouraging migrants to surge to the Mexico–United States border, as well as Russian-state disinformation on election interference and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Following what the Associated Press called a "bungled rollout" and criticism from Republican lawmakers of what they saw as the board's threat to freedom of speech, the board and its working groups were "paused" pending review, and the board's head Nina Jankowicz resigned in May 2022. In August 2022, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas disbanded the board.
The Disinformation Governance Board was announced and revealed to the public by the DHS on April 27, 2022, during a 2023 budget hearing before the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. 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". The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has previously addressed the spread of what they referred to as "mis-, dis-, and malinformation", as well as addressing Russian disinformation as part of their election security efforts in 2020. CISA director Chris Krebs was fired by President Trump in November 2020 for refuting Trump's false claims of election fraud.
After the board was announced, Nina Jankowicz was named executive director. She was previously a fellow at the Wilson Center, advised the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry as part of the Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship, oversaw Russia and Belarus programs at the National Democratic Institute, and wrote the book How to Lose the Information War: Russia, Fake News, and the Future of Conflict. Robert P. Silvers and Jennifer Daskal were also named to hold leadership positions on the board. On May 18, Jankowicz resigned from her role as executive director.
According to DHS officials, the board would serve as an advisory body and help coordinate anti-disinformation efforts throughout the department. Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, stated that the board would have no operational authority or capability but would collect best practices for dissemination to DHS organizations already tasked with defending against disinformation threats, and asserted the board would not monitor American citizens. 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.
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 during natural disasters (listing as an example misinformation spread about the safety of drinking water during Hurricane 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."
On May 9, 2022, the DGB announced that it would provide quarterly reports to the United States Congress.
The Associated 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. Taylor Lorenz, writing for The 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.