One of the biggest leaks in US history has just occurred.
Facebook and Twitter worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security and FBI to regulate “disinfo,” according to leaked documents obtained by The Intercept.
The documents revealed that the DHS would plan ahead with Facebook and Twitter to censor topics like the exit from Afghanistan, COVID, election fraud, and other information that threatened financial institutions in order to restrict them on Facebook and Twitter.
Essentially the DHS would submit “talked own requests” to Facebook and Twitter and the social media platforms would take down anything the DHS requested.
Docs show Facebook and Twitter closely collaborating w/ Dept of Homeland Security, FBI to police “disinfo.” Plans to expand censorship on topics like withdrawal from Afghanistan, origins of COVID, info that undermines trust in financial institutions. https://t.co/Zb3zmI1dQF
— Lee Fang (@lhfang) October 31, 2022
According to the documents, the “Government Reporting System” could be accessed via a specific web address with an approved government or law enforcement email address.
The government has a terrible track record for deciding which speech is appropriate and which is not, and yet government agents do not seem dissuaded. As one Microsoft executive texted a DHS director*, “Platforms have got to get comfortable with gov’t. It’s really interesting how hesitant they remain.” Interesting, indeed.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Facebook was contacted to see if they could confirm or deny the existence of the reporting mechanism, but no comment was ever given.
