The Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity agency, known as CISA, has scaled back its efforts to combat false and viral information about voting in the 2020 election, according to sources familiar with the matter. CISA, responsible for safeguarding election infrastructure from physical and cyber threats, has faced criticism for dismissing or ignoring policy proposals aimed at countering disinformation.
While CISA has been vocal in calling out foreign disinformation campaigns, it has been less active in addressing domestic election disinformation. The agency no longer shares viral online falsehoods identified by election officials with social media platforms, a practice it followed in 2020. This change came after a lawsuit from Republican attorneys general accused CISA of censorship.
The webpage maintained by CISA to debunk election rumors has not been regularly updated, and internal proposals to support election officials in combating disinformation have seen limited progress. Additionally, sources reveal that one of the agency's top experts on election-related disinformation has been underutilized.
CISA Director Jen Easterly has clarified that the agency does not see policing speech on social media platforms as part of its mandate. Despite this stance, concerns have been raised about the agency's reduced focus on countering election disinformation, especially in the wake of heightened scrutiny following foreign interference in the 2016 election.
