A subagency within the U.S. State Department, the Global Engagement Center (GEC), is set to be shut down this week after Congress removed its funding. The GEC, created in 2016 to combat foreign disinformation, will cease operations by December 23, 2024, following a decision to eliminate its $61 million annual budget. This move came after conservative backlash, including Elon Musk’s criticism of the GEC for alleged censorship and media manipulation. Musk called the GEC the “worst offender in U.S. government censorship” and celebrated the funding cuts.
Conservatives had pushed for the shutdown during debates over preventing a government shutdown, arguing that the GEC’s mission to combat foreign disinformation was redundant, with the private sector already handling it. The GEC became particularly controversial for allegedly flagging domestic content, including media and social media accounts questioning official narratives, such as the origins of Covid-19. Critics also cited the GEC’s ties to other federal agencies, like the FBI and CIA, in efforts to suppress conservative viewpoints.
The controversy surrounding the GEC included accusations that it had created blacklists, with figures like journalist Matt Taibbi highlighting the GEC’s role in flagging individuals who shared certain pandemic-related views. In 2023, a judge criticized the Biden administration for infringing on free speech rights in anti-disinformation efforts. Additionally, a lawsuit filed by Texas officials accused the GEC of censoring American voices, violating First Amendment rights in its pursuit of foreign propaganda control.
