The United States may be engaging in political censorship in India under the pretext of combating disinformation in the country through its embassies and consulates.
The revelation was made by the popular OSINT handle ‘Disinfo Lab’ in a 36-tweet thread on Thursday (25th July).
It exposed how the US government had been conducting workshops on ‘counter disinformation’ in various Indian cities, Kolkata, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Mumbai, since 2019.
The US Embassy in India has taken a keen interest in ‘fighting disinformation’ and ‘hate speech’, conducting multiple workshops through its consulates and mission. However, the manner and the individuals engaged, raise some questions.
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) July 25, 2024
A thread: pic.twitter.com/6xV5oRexqo
One such workshop on identifying ‘fake news’ was conducted in Lucknow by a Berlin-based ‘activist’ named Tina Lee.
According to screenshots shared by ‘Disinfo Lab’, Lee has a history of amplifying misleading stories, peddling anti-Trump narratives and engaging in partisan behaviour.
“Could US taxpayers’ money be used on such partisan individuals? That’s not all,” the OSINT handle pointed out.
As to how 'reliable' she'd be as an expert? She's very 'liberal' in calling political opponents 'Fascists'. Could US taxpayers' money be used on such partisan individuals?
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) July 25, 2024
That's not all. This 'counter disinformation' expert was also found spreading #fakenews –literally.
(4/n) pic.twitter.com/fKUfDsuAcz
In 2022, the US consulate in Kolkata had also roped in Brittani Kollar – the Deputy Director of MediaWise (digital media literacy project of Poynter).
Interestingly, the Poynter Institute received a whopping $3,00,000 (₹25.12 lakhs) in 2017 from far-left billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF). Soros had been eyeing a colour revolution in India for a long time.
The US consulate in Hyderabad had also invited Alanna Dvorak, the International Training Manager of the Poynter-owned International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).
OpIndia had recently reported how the US State Department has set aside a whopping $2,00,000 (~₹1.67 crores) to recruit fact-checkers in India as part of its ‘Empowering Media Savvy Youth.’
Through this project, the Executive Department of the US federal government claims to confront ‘online manipulation’, combat ‘external influences’, secure digital landscape and reinforce regional security.
As pointed out by ‘Disinfo Lab’, the US is using ‘counter disinformation’ to censor free speech on an “industrial scale.” The US House Committee on Weaponization of Federal Government has published a 98-page report in May this year, documenting political censorship.
We are not claiming this.
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) July 25, 2024
The US House Committee on Weaponization of Federal Government, that is documenting the #censorship in media and social media by the US Administration, says so.
(that there was a need for such a committee itself is a story)
(11/n) pic.twitter.com/TJSaFF0rNc
According to ‘Disinfo Lab’, there were secret conversations between the CIA and FBI with Facebook officials to censor political posts.
The censorship in the name of combating disinformation extended to Google, Instagram, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) as well.
Everyone would have heard of #TwitterFiles –internal Twitter communication revealed by #ElonMusk– which documented how the US Govt agencies- #DHS #FBI #CIA etc. had been running the #censorship industry from within Twitter– in collusion with Twitter senior functionaries.
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) July 25, 2024
(16/n) pic.twitter.com/ljhdaqj7Ec
The OSINT handle pointed out that the US government also forced the likes of Reddit, Amazon and Wikipedia to take down, promote certain forms of literature and make content changes.
“The censorship goes far beyond social media. The manipulation is at all levels and through all platforms. #Biden #WhiteHouse forced #Amazon to selectively promote (or not) certain kinds of books or literature. Manipulation of #Wikipedia is also well discussed– reports say FBI has been ‘editing’ Wiki pages since 2008. Its co-founder Larry Sanger calls it most bias encyclopaedia. Other co-founder Jimmy Wales has been co-opted by the ‘censorship regime,” it emphasised.
Manipulation of #Wikipedia is also well discussed– reports say FBI has been 'editing' Wiki pages since 2008. Its co-founder Larry Sanger calls it most bias encyclopaedia. Other co-founder Jimmy Wales has been co-opted by the 'censorship regime'.
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) July 25, 2024
h/t @mikeBenzCyber
(19/n) pic.twitter.com/ItIAqfS15b
“Therefore, you would forgive us for not being mighty convinced that the US missions in India have suddenly developed passion against disinformation – and liberally throwing US taxpayers’ money for the benefit of Indians?!” Disinfo Lab tweeted.
Therefore, you would forgive us for not being mighty convinced that the US missions in India have suddenly developed passion against disinformation – and liberally throwing US taxpayers’ money for the benefit of Indians?!
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) July 25, 2024
And if not, then what is it?
(21/n)
It is interesting to note that the US Embassy has been working closely with the Ford Foundation-backed organisation called the International Research and Exchange Board (IREX), also funded by George Soros’ OSF.
In 2015, the Government of Gujarat, while investigating Teesta Setalvad’s embezzlement case, came across funding by the Ford Foundation to her entities. It was found that her trust had violated FCRA norms.
Disinfo Lab stated, “In other words, US govt entities (Embassies and consulates) are engaging the non-govt (IREX – almost entirely peopled with former US govt) – which in turn are funded by other US Govt entities (US Embassies from Israel to Pakistan).”
The organization is headed by Kristin M Lord, who had been associated with several ‘non-government’ organizations – USIP, USAID, and CFR. Interestingly, IREX is funded, amongst the long list of donors by #Soros.
— DisInfo Lab (@DisinfoLab) July 25, 2024
Such a small world.
(23/n) pic.twitter.com/cTXeDetPXV
It is thus possible that the US government is following its homegrown model of political censorship and exporting it to countries such as India by arm-twisting social media companies in the name of fact-checking.
US Embassy invites Akash Banerjee and Sayema
On Thursday (17th July), the US Embassy in India informed about its event for Indian social media influences and content creators to learn about boosting social media engagement on social issues and learn about “active citizenship”.
However, for this “Influence to Impact” event, the US Embassy chose the YouTuber “DeshBhakt” Akash Banerjee who has earned notoriety for peddling leftist and anti-BJP propaganda.
While on the face of it, the US Embassy’s promotional content reeked of political interference in India’s internal political discourse.
Earlier in March, OpIndia reported how the US Embassy’s choice of ‘personality’ for Women’s History Month sparked outrage on social media with people pointing to Sayema’s anti-Hindu, regressive and Islamist views. Despite this, the US Embassy was undeterred from promoting Sayema on their social media handles.
US State Dept works with ‘fact-checkers’ to peddle its narrative
In May 2023, ‘America First Legal’ (AFL) exposed how the Global Engagement Centre (GEC) of the US State Department was working with private media outlets to peddle deep state propaganda.
A centre-right non-profit organisation, AFL, secured documents against the GEC under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). It noted that millions of conservative Americans were targeted for their social media posts on vaccine mandates, election integrity, and Covid-19 vaccines.
The organisation revealed that the Global Engagement Centre (GEC) of the US State Department continues to work closely with George Soros-funded ‘fact checkers’, associated with the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) to control the global media narrative.
America First Legal pointed out that the fact-checkers, currently coordinating with GEC, are also funded by the likes of Omidyar Network, Google, Facebook, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The GEC had been working with IFCN affiliates in countries such as Tunisia and propagating their ‘fact-checking methods’ to censor politically incorrect narratives. According to America First Legal, email exchanges show IFCN pestering the US State Department to ‘fund’ more of their programmes in Egypt.
Email transcripts, accessed by America First Legal, show the GEC threatening journalists to compile its talking points in the form of a report and publish it imminently.
