The State Department disclosed in a Monday filing that it is “substantially likely” to shut down its $100 million Global Engagement Center (GEC).
The GEC faced backlash in early 2023 for funding a “disinformation” tracking group accused of pressuring advertisers to demonetize outlets it deemed as spreading false information.The department clarified that it plans to “realign” the GEC’s staff and resources into other offices focused on foreign information manipulation.
The decision follows a lawsuit by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and several conservative media outlets. The lawsuit centers on a GEC-funded “dynamic exclusion list” used to target websites labeled as disinformation sources. The list was shared with advertising firms, such as Microsoft’s Xandr, to cut off ad revenue and reduce the visibility of those sites.
Elon Musk brought attention to the GEC in March 2023, calling it the “worst offender in U.S. government” regarding censorship and media manipulation. Twitter Files disclosures revealed that the GEC funded groups like the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, which sent blacklists of Twitter accounts for alleged ties to foreign disinformation campaigns. Twitter reportedly acted on these lists by deactivating accounts.
Further revelations by The Federalist in April 2023 detailed how the GEC promoted censorship tools targeting conservative platforms to private tech firms. The GEC also allegedly collaborated with FBI Agent Elvis Chan, a key figure in social media censorship activities exposed in the Twitter Files.
Despite the controversies, some Democrats, including Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), advocated for renewing the GEC’s funding. Murphy, who authored the legislation that created the GEC in 2016, defended the center as vital to countering foreign disinformation efforts from nations like Russia and China.
Lawyers involved in the lawsuit are still assessing how the GEC’s potential closure will impact ongoing legal proceedings.
