Legislation

House Panel: US Govt Violated Citizens' Civil Liberties

JUN 27 2023·Updated JUN 28 2023

Story

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Facts

A US House Judiciary Committee and Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government accused the Critical Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Agency (CISA) of facilitating the "censorship of Americans directly and through third-party intermediaries" in a report released Monday.
US Today News
The 41-page report found that the CISA — tasked with protecting critical infrastructure and guarding against cybersecurity threats — had been "exceeding its statutory authority" in its 2016 post-election efforts to monitor social media for misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information.
CBS News
Citing internal Department of Homeland Security emails and meeting notes, the GOP-led panel alleged that the CISA expanded its monitoring of foreign disinformation to include "all disinformation, including statements made by Americans."
Crast.net
After Pres. Biden took office, the report claimed, the CISA created a formal "mis, dis, and malformation" (MDM) team, hid the "true nature" of its work, and transitioned to "promote more flexibility to focus on general MDM."
FOX News
The House Panel also alleged that "the federal government coerced and colluded with" Big Tech, third-party groups, and intermediaries to "censor certain viewpoints in ways that undermine First Amendment principles."
House Judiciary Committee Republicans
Meanwhile, the CISA's executive director Brandon Wells has denied all allegations, saying the agency "does not censor speech or facilitate censorship; any such claims are patently false."
Crast.net

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Republican narrative

Simply labelling something as "misinformation" doesn't mean First Amendment protections no longer apply. The CISA has overstepped its role in regulating domestic election-related speech and must stick to its mission of monitoring foreign misinformation.

Breitbart

Democratic narrative

The CISA is dedicated to reducing risk to US critical infrastructure in a way that protects Americans' freedom of speech, civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy. It has never and will never violate Americans' civil liberties. This is a baseless, partisan, and MAGA-driven investigation.

CBS News