New documents released by America First Legal (AFL) have revealed an extensive government-backed censorship network involving multiple agencies and organizations working to control public discourse under the pretext of fighting misinformation. The revelations came through ongoing litigation against the U.S. Department of State’s Global Engagement Center (GEC), which was shut down in December 2024.
The investigation uncovered collaboration between the GEC, USAID, the British Foreign, Commonwealth, Development Office (FCDO), and various media monitoring organizations. Through Freedom of Information Act requests, AFL discovered that despite the GEC’s stated mission of combating foreign disinformation abroad, it engaged in domestic propaganda activities with private sector partners.
Internal communications revealed that USAID had developed a
“Disinformation Primer” promoting private sector censorship
strategies. The documents showed extensive coordination between the GEC and USAID to address what they termed “COVID-19 misinformation” and “propaganda,” despite USAID’s primary mission being focused on international development and disaster recovery assistance.
A significant revelation came through emails showing NewsGuard Technologies’ involvement. Two days after the 2020 presidential election, NewsGuard’s General Manager Matt Skibinski initiated communications to offer their services. This led to the involvement of Park Advisors, which received over $6 million in GEC cooperative agreement funding. Park Advisors subsequently distributed funds to various organizations including NewsGuard, the Atlantic Council, and the Global Disinformation Index.
These partnerships resulted in the creation of “Disinfo Cloud,” a platform utilized by multiple governments including the U.S., EU, UK, Australia, and Estonia. The platform, accessible to various government agencies including the NSA and Department of Defense components, implemented AI-driven monitoring tools like the “Misinformation Fingerprints” system.
The documents also exposed coordination with Poynter, another media organization. AFL’s investigation revealed Poynter’s role in operating a network of supposedly independent fact-checkers who were actually closely connected to both Poynter and the GEC.
Perhaps most concerning was the evidence of information sharing between U.S. Department of State officials and the British FCDO, highlighting the international scope of these censorship efforts. This cross-border collaboration raised serious questions about government overreach in controlling public discourse.
AFL Senior Counsel Andrew Block emphasized the dangers of this partnership between USAID and the GEC, particularly when combined with private sector censorship enforcers like NewsGuard and Poynter. While the GEC has been disbanded, Block urged lawmakers to consider legislation ensuring federal agencies better align with American principles and interests.
The House Small Business Committee’s investigation found no safeguards preventing federal resources from being used to develop technologies affecting domestic communications. This lack of oversight allowed for the creation and deployment of various monitoring and censorship tools without proper restrictions on their domestic impact.
The documents paint a picture of a sophisticated censorship apparatus operating under the guise of combating misinformation, involving multiple government agencies, foreign partners, and private sector organizations. Though the GEC has been shuttered, these revelations raise significant concerns about government involvement in controlling public discourse and the potential threats to First Amendment rights.
AFL has committed to continuing its efforts to expose government censorship operations and defend constitutional freedoms, with these documents serving as crucial evidence of the extent of government involvement in media control efforts.