The Biden administration announced yesterday the establishment of a “Disinformation Governance Board” in the Department of Homeland Security. Its executive director is Nina Jankowicz, who is touted as an expert in countering disinformation. She served as an advisor to the Ukraine Foreign Ministry on disinformation in 2016-17, and was in charge of the Russia-Belarus programs at the National Democratic Institute. She presently is the “Disinformation Fellow” at the Wilson Center. In 2020, she published a book, “How to Lose the Information War.”
As for her role in spreading disinformation, she stated in an interview with ABC News in October 2020 that the Hunter Biden laptop story is “a Trump campaign product.” She was involved in circulating the letter signed by more than 50 intel operatives claiming that the story was an example of “Russian disinformation.” Last week, asked by NPR to comment on the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk, she warned that free speech and the lack of censorship (promised by Musk) will make things worse.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan today launched an international operation parallel to this domestic deployment, with yet another coalition of “like-minded countries” outside the UN framework, this one to police global thought. Call it the “Alliance of Democratic Censors.” Sullivan held an early-morning virtual meeting with ministers of 60 “partners” to launch a “Declaration for the Future of the Internet” to defeat “digital authoritarianism.” The declaration promises that “partners in this Declaration intend to work toward an environment that reinforces our democratic systems and … promotes a free and competitive global economy.” https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Declaration-for-the-Future-for-the-Internet_Launch-Event-Signing-Version_FINAL.pdf
China and Russia were not invited. Taiwan’s digital minister, Audrey Tang, however, was. India is one of the countries invited but which has yet to join. The list of the participating countries can be found here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/04/28/fact-sheet-united-states-and-60-global-partners-launch-declaration-for-the-future-of-the-internet/
A background briefing given by two administration officials April 27 makes clear that the declaration is public packaging for nastier enforcement operations being worked on to somehow stop China, Russia, and other countries from setting up an internet outside their control, to which not every country signing on may be privy. For example: the Biden team called it a “declaration,” because some target countries refused to sign onto their draft call for an “alliance.”
