America First Legal has called for the Department of Justice to investigate the Center for Countering Digital Hate and its leadership, including CEO Imran Ahmed, over alleged efforts to censor American citizens and influence U.S. elections.
The UK-based nonprofit, known for advocating social media censorship, is accused of functioning as a foreign influence operation, and AFL contends that CCDH should be classified as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). AFL claims that CCDH, which operates both in the UK and U.S., has interfered with American politics by targeting dissenting voices and promoting policies aligned with the UK Labour Party.
Among the CCDH’s key figures are Ahmed, who previously led campaigns to defund conservative media outlets, and board members with ties to international political and advocacy groups.
AFL asserts that CCDH’s 2021 report, which labeled a group of COVID-19 critics as the “Disinformation Dozen,” prompted a letter from Democratic attorneys general demanding these individuals be de-platformed. The AFL investigation has revealed documents suggesting CCDH may have coordinated the letter with the Connecticut Attorney General’s office before its report’s release. Furthermore, AFL uncovered leaked documents suggesting CCDH lobbied for “US policy engagement,” including targeting Elon Musk’s Twitter.
