DHS Says Disbanding US Government Disinformation Board Amid Free Speech Criticisms

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that it is disbanding the Disinformation Governance Board following criticism of the panel and the alleged threat it posed to freedom of speech and other First Amendment rights.

"In accordance with the [Homeland Security Advisory Council’s] prior recommendation, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas has terminated the Disinformation Governance Board and rescinded its charter effective today," the DHS said in a statement late on Wednesday.

The Disinformation Governance Board and its former chief, Nina Jankowicz, drew widespread criticism, including by Republican lawmakers, over concerns about the entity’s potential to unconstitutionally regulate speech in the United States. The entity was compared to institutions such as the "Ministry of Truth" from George Orwell’s totalitarian dystopia in the book "1984."

Jankowicz resigned from the board in May amid the criticism and the DHS paused the entity’s work while an advisory council conducted a review.

"Good riddance once and for all to the DHS ‘Disinformation Board.’ The federal government has no business threatening the First Amendment by policing your free speech," US Senator Marsha Blackburn said via social media in response to the entity’s termination.

However, DHS said in the statement that it will continue to address threats that undermine the security of the United States while upholding the civil rights and liberties of Americans and promoting transparency.