US ends international agreements aimed at fighting “disinformation”
(MENAFN) The United States has pulled out of multiple international agreements aimed at countering alleged foreign “disinformation,” effectively ending joint initiatives with European governments to monitor online content, according to reports.
Last week, the State Department informed participating nations that it would terminate memoranda of understanding signed during the Biden administration. These agreements, involving 22 countries mainly in Europe and Africa, were originally part of a broader program led by the now-defunct Global Engagement Center (GEC).
The GEC, which was formally closed in April after congressional Republicans blocked funding renewal in December, was initially established in 2011 to combat online terrorist propaganda. Its mandate later expanded to include alleged foreign state-backed “disinformation.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously criticized the GEC as a taxpayer-funded tool for political suppression, claiming it was used by the Biden administration to target conservative voices. “Under the previous administration, this office... spent millions of dollars to actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving,” Rubio said in April.
The decision aligns with President Donald Trump’s broader effort to dismantle what he views as “ineffective” institutions used for political censorship. Since taking office, Trump has also cut funding for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees broadcasters like Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), both widely regarded as tools of Western propaganda.
Last week, the State Department informed participating nations that it would terminate memoranda of understanding signed during the Biden administration. These agreements, involving 22 countries mainly in Europe and Africa, were originally part of a broader program led by the now-defunct Global Engagement Center (GEC).
The GEC, which was formally closed in April after congressional Republicans blocked funding renewal in December, was initially established in 2011 to combat online terrorist propaganda. Its mandate later expanded to include alleged foreign state-backed “disinformation.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously criticized the GEC as a taxpayer-funded tool for political suppression, claiming it was used by the Biden administration to target conservative voices. “Under the previous administration, this office... spent millions of dollars to actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving,” Rubio said in April.
The decision aligns with President Donald Trump’s broader effort to dismantle what he views as “ineffective” institutions used for political censorship. Since taking office, Trump has also cut funding for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees broadcasters like Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), both widely regarded as tools of Western propaganda.
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