South Cook News

The Biden administration and the Department of Homeland Security are trying their best to address the fierce criticism directed at the Disinformation Governance Board.

The Disinformation Governance Board is an interagency team that deals with all kinds of disinformation aimed at the citizens of the U.S. However, the Republicans have been fiercely criticizing the Board in the last few weeks.

"Another huge threat to our homeland is mis- and disinformation," Rep. Underwood said to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. "One of my main concerns about disinformation is that foreign adversaries attempt to destabilize our elections by targeting people of color with disinformation campaigns."

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a "fact sheet" on May 2 describing the Disinformation Governance Board as an internal working group established with the purpose of combatting disinformation, which DHS defines as "false information that is deliberately spread with the intent to deceive or mislead." The DHS has asked the public to keep their faith in the group. Mayorkas has even asked the Homeland Security Advisory Council to suggest ways in which disinformation can be addressed while "protecting free speech and other fundamental rights,” reports CNN.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki recently stated that the Disinformation Governance Board will be "nonpartisan" and "apolitical," Yahoo News reported. The Board aims to combat disinformation related to various factors like foreign interference, extremism, and human trafficking in American elections and politics. Conservatives have expressed concern over the fact that Nina Jankowicz, the Board's executive director, has repeatedly spread false information.

Meanwhile, in the last few weeks, Mayorkas also warned of a sudden rise in the spread of disinformation which is mainly trying to break down the integrity of the election system, CNN reports. "We are seeing a rise in misinformation and disinformation that is attempting to strike at the integrity of the election system and people's right to vote," Mayorkas said.