"Ministry of Truth": why the United States criticized the creation of a council to counter disinformation

In the United States, the creation of a Disinformation Governance Board, the formation of which was previously announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the United States, was criticized.

In particular, Republican Senator Rand Paul opposed the council.

On his Twitter page, he wrote that the contradictions in the United States are resolved by "discussing them, and not making the country's authorities the arbiter of truth."

He also attached a video of the Senate meeting to his post, in which Paul discusses this topic with US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Majorcas and calls the US government "the main disseminator of disinformation in world history."

As one example, Paul cited Washington's early claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

In addition, the legislator mentioned Iran-contras, a high-profile scandal in the United States in the second half of the 1980s related to the illegal supply of weapons to Iran and interference in the internal affairs of Nicaragua.

“I don’t need government protective mechanisms, I don’t want you (the country’s authorities.

) to have anything to do with freedom of speech,” Paul said.

“Do you think Americans are so stupid that they need you to tell them what is true?”

Earlier, former member of the US House of Representatives Democrat Tulsi Gabbard called on her Twitter the created council to counter disinformation the "Ministry of Truth", apparently drawing a parallel with the department of the same name in the dystopian novel "1984" by the English writer George Orwell, in which such a structure was engaged in falsification socially significant information and propaganda.

Commenting on the creation of a new institution in an interview with Fox News, she spoke about the risk of establishing a dictatorship in the United States.

Gabbard also expressed concern that the council would engage in censorship and propaganda activities.

In turn, Republican Senator Tom Cotton condemned the creation of a new body, writing on his Twitter that for Democrats, "disinformation" is "anything that is inconvenient" to President Biden.

• US Senate

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• © Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Keystone Press Agency

The creation of the council was earlier criticized by Republican Senator Josh Hawley, who called for the abolition of this structure, since, in his opinion, it can censor statements that differ from Washington's official position.

“One can only assume that the only task of the new council to counter disinformation will be to use the powers of the federal government to censor conservative and different (from the official position.

) statements.

It's dangerous and un-American.

The Council should be dissolved immediately,” the statement on its official website reads.

"Breeding Lies"

The creation of a council to counter disinformation was also condemned in the American media.

In particular, the Politico edition emphasized that the US authorities classify vital data “in order to prevent their own citizens from raising their awareness”, and also “pay thousands of press secretaries to hide the facts better”.

“Which of us thinks the government should add to its list of responsibilities the job of determining what is true and what is misinformation?

And who thinks the government is capable of telling the truth?

Our authorities produce lies and disinformation on an industrial scale.

And they always did it, ”writes Politico.

The publication recalls that the US government "lied about the victory in Vietnam", called the Watergate scandal a "third-rate robbery", waged a secret war in Nicaragua, "deceived about a secret love affair in the White House" and used false intelligence to start a war in the Middle East.

“Even President Barack Obama distorted the truth.

Of Obama's 600 statements verified by PolitiFact during his tenure as president, a quarter fell into the "red zone", found to be false, mostly false or blatantly false, ”Politico notes.

Meanwhile, the DHS itself acknowledged that "there was a misunderstanding" regarding the new council to counter disinformation, its role and activities.

"The reaction to the creation of this working group prompted the US Department of Homeland Security to evaluate what steps we need to take to build the trust necessary for the agency to operate effectively in this area," the agency said in a press release.

The DHS explained that the Disinformation Countermeasures Council is an internal working group purportedly created to ensure that "protective mechanisms are properly incorporated into the disinformation-related work of the Department of Homeland Security, and to implement strong safeguards."

“The activities of the working group are also aimed at coordinating the interaction of the ministry in this area with other federal departments and various external stakeholders,” the press release says.

The department also drew attention to the fact that the DHS is focused on disinformation "that threatens the security of the American people," including inaccurate data allegedly distributed by a number of foreign countries, including Russia.

• United States Department of Homeland Security building

• © Federal Government

“Such malicious actors often spread disinformation to take advantage of vulnerable individuals and the American public, including during national emergencies,” the DHS said.

"Massive Disinformation Machine"

Experts call the wave of criticism of the new council absolutely justified.

“The powers of this body are not entirely clear.

It is possible that the council will generally begin to control all communication in social networks.

If this happens, then it will definitely violate the US Constitution, in particular the Fifth Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech, which does not correlate with democratic values, ”American political scientist Malek Dudakov said in an interview with RT.

Speaking about the assumptions that the new council could censor statements objectionable to the White House, Dudakov stressed that this is the purpose of creating such a structure.

“Her main task is to shut up those who do not agree with Biden, crush everything that goes against the opinion of the White House, and eliminate all alternative positions in the United States.

It is no coincidence that the MVB speaks without evidence of alleged Russian disinformation.

Now this topic, artificially inflated by Washington, is on the agenda, it must be supported with something, and also try to block any information that is inconvenient for oneself.

The United States will work very actively in this direction, including within the framework of the new council, ”the analyst argues.

He also commented on the DHS's promise to evaluate what steps the agency should take "to build confidence" in connection with the creation of a new structure.

“The scandal erupted big.

It is obvious that now the ministry will turn back, saying that they will sign strict regulations and will not violate the Constitution.

But the problem is that the American intelligence services have very broad powers and, if they wish, they can violate all this, ”the expert says.

Moreover, he doubts that the DHS will be able to strengthen the confidence of Americans in the new council.

“Any measures aimed at restricting freedom of speech evoke a sharply negative reaction from Americans,” Dudakov explained.

According to Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, the council to counter disinformation has been naturally compared to Orwell's "Ministry of Truth".

• US President Joe Biden

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“This is a situation that is incompatible with the fundamental principles that the United States is promoting in the world.

The Council and its censors will work both on the external circuit against Russia and other countries that are defending their independence, and against internal opposition.

It's no secret that Biden's rating is going down, and in this situation, such a council can become a tool in the hands of the Democrats to fight the Republican opposition, ”the analyst admitted.

Shapovalov also recalled that a “large-scale disinformation machine” has been created in the United States.

“It has been functioning for many decades and is controlled from Washington, regardless of the party affiliation of the incumbent president.

If earlier the US statements that Iraq was creating weapons of mass destruction were the pinnacle of lies and disinformation, now these are false data from the American authorities that are being poured against Russia and are repeated every day.

And the scale is only increasing,” the expert concluded.