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Musk criticizes ‘crazy’ Obama-time disinfo procedure
(MENAFN) Elon Musk has criticized a now-defunct U.S. government initiative that allegedly sought to suppress free speech under the guise of combating foreign disinformation. The Global Engagement Center (GEC), a division of the U.S. State Department, was launched in 2016 under President Barack Obama and operated until its shutdown in December 2024.
Musk’s reaction came after the conservative group America First Legal (AFL) published an investigative report on Thursday, detailing the GEC’s coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the British Foreign Office (FCDO), and various media oversight groups such as Poynter and NewsGuard. These entities, according to AFL, collaborated to manipulate public discourse, control media narratives, and censor free speech.
“Wow, this is crazy!” Musk wrote on X, reposting a link to the report.
According to AFL, the GEC worked alongside organizations funded by billionaire activist George Soros. The Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network, which has advised social media companies on content moderation policies, reportedly received at least $492,000 from Soros-backed groups between 2016 and 2020. Critics have described it as a “global Soros-backed Ministry of Truth.”
Meanwhile, NewsGuard, which claims to provide independent credibility ratings for online media, has been linked to U.S. intelligence agencies. Its advisory board includes former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and ex-CIA and NSA Director Michael Hayden.
AFL legal counsel Andrew Block warned that the GEC’s partnership with USAID, combined with its collaboration with censorship-focused media groups, represented a serious threat to free speech and independent thought.
“The partnership between USAID and the Global Engagement Center is bad news for the American people,” Block stated. “When you add in their coordination with internet censorship enforcers at NewsGuard and Poynter, it becomes clear just how dangerous this alliance is for free expression.”
Musk’s reaction came after the conservative group America First Legal (AFL) published an investigative report on Thursday, detailing the GEC’s coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the British Foreign Office (FCDO), and various media oversight groups such as Poynter and NewsGuard. These entities, according to AFL, collaborated to manipulate public discourse, control media narratives, and censor free speech.
“Wow, this is crazy!” Musk wrote on X, reposting a link to the report.
According to AFL, the GEC worked alongside organizations funded by billionaire activist George Soros. The Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network, which has advised social media companies on content moderation policies, reportedly received at least $492,000 from Soros-backed groups between 2016 and 2020. Critics have described it as a “global Soros-backed Ministry of Truth.”
Meanwhile, NewsGuard, which claims to provide independent credibility ratings for online media, has been linked to U.S. intelligence agencies. Its advisory board includes former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and ex-CIA and NSA Director Michael Hayden.
AFL legal counsel Andrew Block warned that the GEC’s partnership with USAID, combined with its collaboration with censorship-focused media groups, represented a serious threat to free speech and independent thought.
“The partnership between USAID and the Global Engagement Center is bad news for the American people,” Block stated. “When you add in their coordination with internet censorship enforcers at NewsGuard and Poynter, it becomes clear just how dangerous this alliance is for free expression.”
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