State Department halts ‘all frameworks’ to counter foreign misinformation
Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the closure of the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference office, saying the foreign misinformation group had ‘devolved into tools for political censorship’.’ Photo by Win McNamee / Getty Images / Wired
The Hill
The State Department recently halted “all frameworks” to counter misinformation from foreign countries. In April, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the closure of the department’s Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI) office, formerly known as the Global Engagement Center (GEC).
The GEC was established via a March 2016 executive order signed by then-President Barack Obama intended to counter recruitment propaganda from the Islamic State terrorist group. In December 2016, Congress expanded the GEC’s authority to counter propaganda and disinformation from foreign countries, just months before special prosecutor Robert Mueller began his investigation into Russia’s efforts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election.
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