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DHS defends disinformation unit — Analysis

The US Secretary of Homeland Security claims the task force is the exact opposite of the Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth’

The newly-unveiled ‘Disinformation Governance Board’, operating within the Department of Homeland Security, has triggered a massive pushback, forcing DHS chief Alejandro Mayorkas to make several appearances on national TV in an attempt to clarify how this unit will operate.

Many critics, including top Republicans, blasted the initiative as a “Ministry of Truth,” directly from the pages of George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984.” Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, Mayorkas deflected this criticism by claiming such thought policing is “precisely the opposite of what this small working group within the Department of Homeland Security will do.”

“What it will do is gather together best practices in addressing the threat of disinformation from foreign state adversaries from the cartels and disseminate those best practices to the operators that have been executing in addressing this threat for years,” he explained, after CNN’s Dana Bash said it was still not clear “how this governance board will act.”

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Nina Jankowicz is the new head of the body. Her resume includes work as an advisor to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, and she also oversees the Russia-Belarus programs at National Democratic Institute. Detractors also scrutinized her for dismissing the New York Post’s suppressed ‘Hunter’s laptop’ story as a fake “Russian influence op,”Only for this to later be confirmed by major media outlets.

Mayorkas also appeared on Fox News Sunday to defend Jankowicz’s objectivity and qualifications, calling her  “eminently qualified”You can also find out more about a “renowned expert in the field of disinformation.”

I don’t question her objectivity. There are people in the department who have a diverse range of views and they’re incredibly dedicated to mission. We’re not the opinion police.

New “anti-disinformation”The push announcement was made Wednesday just days after Elon Musk, a billionaire, agreed to purchase Twitter for $44billion and promised to restore freedom to speech on the platform.

Responding to news of Musk’s Twitter takeover, Jankowicz said, “I shudder to think about if free speech absolutists were taking over more platforms, what that would look like for the marginalized communities, which are already shouldering disproportionate amounts of this abuse.”

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