Silencing America: How USAID and global engagement center colluded with foreign governments and media to censor free speech

By willowt // 2025-03-23

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America First Legal (AFL) uncovered a coordinated effort involving U.S. agencies (USAID, GEC), foreign governments (U.K.) and private media firms (NewsGuard, Poynter) to suppress free speech under the guise of combating "misinformation," "disinformation," and "malinformation." This alliance represents a significant threat to First Amendment rights.
The Global Engagement Center (GEC), initially tasked with countering foreign disinformation, was found targeting American citizens with state-sponsored propaganda and censorship. USAID, despite its humanitarian mission, diverted resources to censor COVID-19-related information and meddle in foreign elections, raising concerns about misuse of taxpayer funds.
Companies like NewsGuard and Poynter collaborated with government agencies to develop tools and strategies for identifying and suppressing "misinformation." NewsGuard's AI tool and Poynter's fact-checking network were integrated into government efforts, blurring the lines between public and private censorship.
U.S. agencies shared alleged "malinformation" with the British government, highlighting the global scale of the censorship operation. This collaboration with foreign entities undermines American sovereignty and raises questions about the integrity of domestic free speech protections.
AFL's findings underscore the urgent need for transparency and accountability to protect constitutional rights. Lawmakers and citizens must act to prevent further erosion of free speech and ensure that government agencies are not abusing their power to suppress dissent.

In a shocking revelation that underscores the depths of government overreach and corruption, America First Legal (AFL) has exposed a sprawling censorship scheme involving the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the now-defunct Global Engagement Center (GEC), the British government and private media firms. This alliance, which operated under the guise of combating “misinformation,” “disinformation,” and “malinformation,” represents a chilling assault on the First Amendment and the fundamental principles of free speech. The documents obtained by AFL through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and ongoing litigation reveal a disturbing pattern of government agencies collaborating with foreign entities and private corporations to manipulate public discourse, suppress dissent and control the flow of information. This is not just a scandal—it is a wake-up call for all Americans who value their constitutional rights.

The GEC and USAID: A censorship powerhouse

The Global Engagement Center, ostensibly created to “combat foreign disinformation abroad,” was shuttered in December 2024 after mounting evidence of its domestic overreach. AFL’s investigation reveals that the GEC, far from limiting its activities to foreign adversaries, engaged in state-sponsored propaganda and censorship targeting American citizens. One of the most damning revelations is the GEC’s coordination with USAID, an agency whose mission is to “extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms.” Instead of focusing on its humanitarian mandate, USAID diverted resources to censor so-called “COVID-19 misinformation” and counter “COVID-19 propaganda.” In a widely distributed email, the GEC’s “Liaison Planner to USAID” stated that the agency sought to “sustain dialogue and connectivity during these unprecedented times” to combat misinformation. This collaboration extended across multiple branches of USAID, including “TF 2020-COVID 19,” “Digital Development,” and “Conflict Prevention and Stabilization (CPS) Policy.” The documents also reveal that the GEC and USAID worked on “counter-propaganda” efforts, including monitoring “disinformation” narratives surrounding the 2020 Presidential Elections in Moldova. This raises serious questions about why U.S. taxpayer dollars were being used to meddle in foreign elections while simultaneously suppressing domestic speech.

The censorship industrial complex: NewsGuard and Poynter

The AFL investigation exposes the role of private media censorship firms like NewsGuard and Poynter in this government-backed operation. Two days after the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, NewsGuard Technologies’ General Manager, Matt Skibinski, pitched the company’s services to government officials, including representatives from the Department of State, the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Defense. NewsGuard’s “Misinformation Fingerprints” AI tool, designed to identify and rate websites based on their perceived “misinformation,” was showcased to these officials. Shockingly, the House Small Business Committee found that there was “no firewall in place to ensure that Federal resources were not being used to develop and promote technologies that would have domestic impacts.” Poynter, another key player in this censorship scheme, was revealed to be part of a global network of “fact-checkers” funded by both Poynter and the GEC. An email from February 4, 2021, shows GEC’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) expert offering to “walk [Poynter] through GEC’s new M&E workbook,” highlighting the close collaboration between these entities. This coordination between government agencies and private media firms represents the emergence of a “Censorship Industrial Complex,” where taxpayer dollars are used to silence dissenting voices under the guise of combating misinformation.

Foreign collusion: Sharing information with the U.K. government

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of this scandal is the involvement of foreign governments in censoring American speech. An email from January 8, 2021, shows U.S. Department of State officials sharing alleged “malinformation” with the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). This revelation underscores the global nature of this censorship operation and raises serious concerns about the sovereignty of American discourse. The British government’s involvement in this scheme is particularly troubling given its history of aggressive censorship policies. By collaborating with foreign entities to suppress speech, the U.S. government has effectively outsourced its censorship efforts, undermining the First Amendment and betraying the trust of the American people.

A call to action: Defending free speech

The AFL’s findings are a stark reminder of the dangers of unchecked government power and the erosion of constitutional rights. As Andrew Block, America First Legal Senior Counsel, aptly stated: “The partnership between USAID and the Global Engagement Center is bad news for the American people. Add in the fact that they were coordinating with internet censorship enforcers at NewsGuard and Poynter, and you can start to see just how dangerous this unholy alliance is for free speech and free expression.” This scandal is not just about government waste or bureaucratic overreach—it is about the fundamental right of every American to speak freely without fear of censorship or retribution. Lawmakers must take immediate action to ensure that federal agencies are held accountable and that such abuses of power are never repeated. The First Amendment is the cornerstone of our democracy, and it is under attack. It is up to us, as citizens, to demand transparency, accountability and a return to the principles that made this nation great. The time to act is now—before it’s too late. Sources include: AmericaFirstLegal.com ZeroHedge.com LegalNewsLine.com