Censorship Crossroads: Unraveling the U.S. State Department's Controversial Partnership with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue

Silencing Speech or Safeguarding Society? The Debate Over Online Content Moderation and Government Involvement

The Daily Caller published an investigation last month entitled “State Department Funded Foreign Think Tank Working To Censor Americans”.

It details the U.S. State Department's funding and partnership with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD)and raises serious concerns about potential unconstitutional censorship of conservative voices. While ISD is primarily focused on combating extremism and disinformation, critics argue that its classification of conservative discourse and journalism as hate speech or disinformation is problematic, if not In violation of the law.

ISD is known for its expertise in monitoring and analyzing online extremist content and disinformation, and it works closely with technology companies to develop tools and strategies to counter harmful narratives on digital platforms. In other words it a big online tattle tale, that will report you to the principal if you peak your head out the Overton window.

The State Department awarded ISD a grant in September 2021 to develop technologies against disinformation and propaganda in Europe and the U.K. The department confirmed that its Global Engagement Center funded ISD to study Russian disinformation tactics, but it denies playing a role in content moderation decisions on social media platforms.

ISD is also involved in the Strong Cities Network, a United Nations-affiliated initiative in partnership with the State Department, aimed at combating hate, polarization, and extremism abroad. Furthermore, ISD receives funding from various sources, including the Omidyar Group, Open Society Foundations, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

ISD's influence in content moderation decisions is evident in its advisory role with Spotify to curb misinformation on the audio streaming platform. It is also part of YouTube's Trusted Flagger program, allowing it to flag content for the platform. The organization has partnerships with other tech giants, such as Microsoft, Amazon's Audible, and Facebook.

As you can see it’s tentacles of content moderation influence reach far and wide and critics argue that the State Department's partnership with ISD may be unconstitutional, as it potentially involves taxpayer dollars funding the censorship of conservative voices under the guise of combating misinformation. Additionally, there are calls for increased transparency on the connection between the government and tech companies in general.

As the DHS and its partners continue to expand their censorship operations, the consequences for free speech in America are dire. A multitude of narratives and opinions, especially those associated with the post-2016 populist right, have been aggressively targeted for suppression. The government's outsized role in censoring political discourse is a clear violation of the First Amendment and poses a significant threat to the democratic principles on which the United States was founded.

It is the hope that, by shedding light on these disturbing activities, the public will be mobilized to demand a bipartisan Congressional committee armed with subpoena power to secure public accountability and put an end to this Orwellian nightmare. The survival of the First Amendment depends on dismantling the domestic censorship industry financed and directed by the US government.

ISD has not responded to requests for comment on the issue, and the debate over its partnership with the U.S. State Department remains ongoing. I will be investigating this issue further so please subscribe so you can stay informed.

If you would like to read the full investigation by the Daily Caller please go here:

https://dailycaller.com/2023/02/13/state-department-think-tank-disinformation/