America First Legal (AFL) has released a document obtained through litigation against the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), revealing insights into CISA's monitoring of social media narratives during the COVID-19 pandemic. The document, titled "COVID-19 Countering Foreign Influence Task Force Reporting and Analysis," was marked as "FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY" and contains information on how CISA approached misinformation about COVID-19.
The report indicates that Dr. Anthony Fauci estimated 50% to 75% immunity in the population was necessary for herd immunity. However, anti-vaccination misinformation was seen as a threat to reaching this threshold. CISA advised citizens to be aware of COVID-19 disinformation and directed them to a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website for rumor control.
The document details CISA's use of "FEMA Social Listening" to monitor public sentiment on COVID-19 discussions, including President Trump's comments on Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). While initially dismissed by health experts, a later study suggested HCQ provided moderate protective benefits without serious adverse effects.
Other narratives labeled as misinformation by CISA included mask effectiveness and the Wuhan lab leak theory, both of which faced censorship on platforms like Facebook and Twitter but were later proven true. AFL argues that CISA conspired with NGOs and Big Tech platforms to censor speech related to the 2020 election and the pandemic under the guise of combating disinformation.
CISA justified its actions by citing threats from foreign entities like Russia, Iran, and China, using evidence from Clint Watts at the George Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy. The agency's report frequently referenced this alliance along with other organizations such as Media Matters, Atlantic Council DFR Lab, Stanford Internet Observatory, Global Disinformation Index (GDI), Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), and EU vs. Disinfo.
Reed D. Rubinstein, Senior Vice President at America First Legal, criticized CISA's reliance on these sources: “Incredibly, the evidence is that CISA relied on a dangerous, anti-American blob of 'authorities' to closely monitor what the American people were saying." Rubinstein called for changes within federal agencies under new administration leadership.
America First Legal plans to continue its efforts against government censorship practices.