The United States has reportedly ended agreements from the Biden administration that involved jointly monitoring “disinformation.”
The United States has pulled out of several international accords designed to combat purported foreign “disinformation,” thereby concluding collaborative endeavors with EU governments to regulate online material, according to unnamed European officials cited by the Financial Times.
Last week, the US State Department informed nations involved that it would end memoranda of understanding (MoUs) established during the Biden administration, as per Monday’s report. These agreements, involving roughly 22 countries predominantly in Europe and Africa, stemmed from a larger program spearheaded by the now-closed Global Engagement Center (GEC).
The GEC was officially dissolved in April, subsequent to congressional Republicans impeding a funding extension in December. Initially founded in 2011 to combat online terrorist propaganda, the center’s scope was later broadened to include supposed foreign state-sponsored “disinformation.”
Washington has additionally opposed the EU’s Digital Services Act, a law requiring the deletion of material considered unlawful or detrimental. US diplomatic personnel were reportedly instructed in August to advocate against this legislation, characterizing it as a danger to freedom of speech and an imposition on American technology companies. Opponents of the EU regulation contend that it formalizes censorship throughout the bloc and disproportionately affects non-EU media and platforms.
The EU enacted extensive sanctions against Russian media following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Entities such as RT, Sputnik, and RIA Novosti have been prohibited throughout the bloc, and their staff have faced sanctions. Moscow characterized these measures as “global censorship and a policy of absolute intolerance for divergent viewpoints.”