The Department of Homeland Security launched the Disinformation Governance Board. This new agency generated a huge amount of controversy. The agency had the potential to damage free press and free expression. The DGB appears to be shutting down after much criticism from civil liberties organizations. The Department of Homeland Security has been criticized ever since its creation during the Bush administration. The Disinformation Governance Board is not about stopping propaganda or the spread of fake news. The objective is to have the public agree upon one narrative and stop dissent. Nina Jankowicz was head of the DGB until she announced her resignation. Her appointment to the agency also created concern. She has referred to herself as a disinformation expert. The writer and researcher has no background in journalism. Being appointed to a disinformation agency overseeing media makes that even more precarious. A government agency should not determine what the truth is. Nor should it stop individuals from seeking out information. The Disinformation Governance Board could have enabled the government to hinder a citizen's ability to exercise free speech. For now, it is dissolved yet more agencies could be created that would threaten basic rights. The end of this agency was for the best considering the amount of legal challenges that would be directed at it. Every media and news organization could have been threatened by an agency under the Department of Homeland Security. Many activists and human rights advocates should seek the abolition of the DHS. The creation of such an department could pose a serious danger to the rights of American citizens in the US Constitution.
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