America First Legal announced Monday it has filed three lawsuits to force federal agencies to release records related to the Biden administration’s “Misinformation, Disinformation, and Malinformation” initiative, seeking to detail coordination between U.S. officials and outside entities on online speech moderation and censorship policies.
AFL said its prior investigations into a “censorship industrial complex” have produced documents that show federal national security and intelligence agencies working alongside foreign governments, universities, and NGOs on global content moderation initiatives.
In December 2025, AFL submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to several agencies requesting documents related to coordination between the federal government, foreign governments, and nongovernmental organizations to combat so-called MDM. The requests were sent to the Office of the National Cyber Director, the Office of Management and Budget, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. While the agencies acknowledged receipt of the FOIA requests, AFL said they did not provide responsive records within the statutory deadlines.
AFL says previously released records indicate the National Security Council invited the United Kingdom government to coordinate on internet censorship efforts, that the CIA was directed to engage foreign governments in surveillance activities involving Americans, that CISA relied on both foreign and domestic NGOs in making censorship determinations, and that U.S. counterterrorism resources were used in support of efforts linked to Imran Ahmed’s global anti-disinfirmation campaign.
The new lawsuits seek court orders compelling the agencies to produce the requested documents.
