WASHINGTON (AP) — A newly formed Disinformation Governance Board remains shrouded in secrecy a week after the Biden administration’s announcement of the new effort was met with widespread criticism.
The Department of Homeland Security has yet to release any new details on how the board will work and what power it will have.
Republican lawmakers have stepped up calls for the group to be disbanded and civil liberties advocates question whether the board will violate Americans’ free speech rights.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas reportedly defended the group during a Senate appropriations committee hearing.
We protect the security of the homeland, and once again, allow me to articulate what I have said previously, which is that the working group does not have operational capability and authority," Mayorkas said, according to CNN.
The board’s bungled rollout could hurt existing efforts to identify and stop foreign disinformation campaigns from Russia, China and other adversaries, which have long been considered a national security threat by both Republican and Democratic administrations.
