Monday, May 2, 2022

The Disinformation Governance Board ?

The news in recent days has covered the new sub-department of Homeland Security - The Disinformation Governance Board. 

And some of these reports compare it the novel 1984.  So, without getting into an opinion on this matter, below are the best definitions I could find on the two topics.  

What are your thoughts?   

 

1984 By George Orwell

1984 is a classic dystopian novel—a novel that describes a society with great suffering—written by George Orwell and published in 1949, a few years after WWII ended. It was published at the beginning of the height of the Cold War, and people gravitated toward a book that spoke of such things as government control and "doublethink".

The novel is set in 1984 in Airstrip One, formerly England. Airstrip One is part of the nation Oceania. It is run by an authoritarian-style government called Ingsoc, and it requires complete obedience. It is led by Big Brother, who is said to be a philosopher and war hero, and who inspires loyalty and fear. One of the slogans of Oceania is "Big Brother is watching you." It has one political party, simply named the Party. The government changes historical records to suit their needs and produces propaganda and all the entertainment for the citizens.

Source: Ministry of Truth in 1984 by George Orwell | Quotes, Slogan & Description - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com


I could not find an official government website with the actual definition, so here is the Wikipedia version.


The Disinformation Governance Board is a United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) board announced on April 27, 2022 during a 2023 budget hearing before the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. Its aim is protecting national security by combatting foreign misinformation and disinformation. Specific problem areas mentioned include false information propagated by human smugglers encouraging migrants to surge to the Mexico–United States border, as well as Russian-state disinformation on election interference, the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and COVID-19 vaccines.[1] In a statement, the DHS said the board would "protect privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties" as part of its duties.[1][2]

Source: Disinformation Governance Board - Wikipedia 



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