The State Department’s foreign disinformation center, the Global Engagement Center (GEC), has shut down due to lack of funding. The center, established in 2016, was accused by conservatives of censoring U.S. citizens and was deemed the “worst offender in U.S. government censorship & media manipulation” by Elon Musk. The GEC had a budget of around $61 million and 120 people on staff.
The center was criticized by Republicans for its disinformation analysis, which they argued was already offered by the private sector. The GEC had also been accused of funding a secret list of subcontractors and helping to pioneer a new form of blacklisting during the pandemic.
The center was part of the State Department but also partnered with other government agencies, including the FBI, CIA, and NSA. It also funded the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), which had been criticized for using tax money to track Americans.
A report from the Republican-led House Small Business Committee criticized the GEC for awarding grants to organizations whose work included tracking domestic as well as foreign misinformation. The center was also accused of using taxpayer dollars to create a video game called “Cat Park” to “Inoculate Youth Against Disinformation” abroad.
The shutdown of the GEC comes as lawmakers are debating the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the Pentagon’s yearly policy bill. The NDAA had originally included funding for the GEC, but conservatives stripped it from the bill. The State Department has said it will consult with Congress regarding next steps.