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Nina Jankowicz’s new book, How to Become a Woman Online, chronicles the suffering she and other women have endured by trolls and other malicious actors. Now at the center of a new storm of criticism, this time on his appointment to chair an advisory board in the Department of Homeland Security amid the threat of disinformation.

The creation of a board, announced last week, has escalated into a partisan fight over disinformation itself and what role, if any, the government should have in moderating false, at times toxic, and even violent content online.

Hours after the announcement, Republican lawmakers began to challenge the board as Orwellian, accusing the Biden administration of creating a “Ministry of Truth” to control people’s thoughts. Two professors writing a column for The Wall Street Journal noted He said the acronym for the new Disinformation Board was “just a letter from the KGB,” the Soviet Union’s security service.

Alejandro N. Majorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, found himself on the defensive. In a television interview on CNN on Sunday, he insisted that the new board was a small group, had no operational mandate or capability, and would not spy on Americans.

“We in the Department of Homeland Security do not monitor American citizens,” he said.

Mr Majorkas’ reassurance did little to quell outrage, underscoring how partisan the disinformation debate has become. Faced with a series of questions about the board on Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the department represents a continuation of the work the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency started in 2020 under the previous administration.

The focus is on coordinating the department’s response to the potential effects of disinformation threats, including foreign election influence such as that of Russia in 2016 and again in 2020; efforts by smugglers to encourage migrants to cross the border; and online posts that may promote extremist attacks. Ms Psaki did not elaborate on how the ministry would define what online extremist content is. She said the board would consider making its findings on disinformation public, but “a lot of this work is really about the day-to-day work going on by the Department of Homeland Security that people may not see.”

Many of the board’s critics have researched Ms. Jankowicz’s past statements online and offline, accusing her of being hostile to conservative viewpoints. They suggested, without any basis, that he suppress the legally protected speech using a partisan account.

Two Republicans on the House intelligence and homeland security committees—Michael R. Turner of Ohio and John Katko of New York—cited recent comments about him. laptops About the President’s son Hunter Biden and Elon Musk Offer to buy Twitter as evidence of bias.

Ms Jankowicz, 33, has argued in her book and public statements that derogatory and misogynistic content online can prevent offline violence and other illegal acts – the kinds of threats the board is created to monitor. Her book references research into the violent backlash faced by leading women. Vice President Kamala Harris After his candidacy in 2020.

Ms Jankowicz urged social media companies and law enforcement to take tougher action against online abuse. Such views have sparked warnings that the government should not moderate online content; he also motivated Mr. Musk, who said he wanted to buy Twitter to free its users from the severe restrictions that violate freedom of expression.

Ms Jankowicz said: “I shudder to think what it would be like for marginalized communities around the world if free speech absolutists took over more platforms, they are already enduring this abuse in disproportionate amounts.” in NPR meeting About her new book last week, which refers to those who have been attacked online, especially women and people of color.

A chirp Mr Turner and Mr Katko sent a letter to Mr Majorcas using part of the quotation. The note requested “all documents and correspondence” regarding the creation of the board and the appointment of Ms. Jankowicz as executive director.

Appointed part-time by officials from other parts of the major department, the board began working quietly two months ago.

According to this an idiom The ministry, released on Monday, said the board would monitor “disinformation spread by foreign states such as Russia, China and Iran, or by other adversaries such as transnational criminal organizations and human trafficking organizations”. The statement also cited disinformation that could be spread during natural disasters, such as misinformation about the safety of drinking water during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

This is not the first move by the Department of Homeland Security to identify disinformation as a threat facing the country. Department joins FBI to issue terror bulletins Warning about lies about the 2020 election and the Capitol riots of January 6, 2021 may embolden local extremists.

Mr. Majorkas defended Ms. Jankowicz, describing her as a “renowned expert” who was “highly qualified” to advise the department on security threats burgeoning in the fertile atmosphere online. He also admitted that he mishandled the board announcement in a simple press release last week.

“I think we could probably do a better job of communicating what he did and what he didn’t,” he told CNN.

Ms. Jankowicz has been a familiar commentator on disinformation for years. She worked at the National Democratic Institute, a member of the National Endowment for Democracy that promotes democratic government abroad, and was a faculty member at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scientists in Washington.

As a Fulbright scholar, he advised the Ukrainian government in 2017. His 2020 book “How to Lose the Information War: Russia, Fake News and the Future of Conflict” focused on Russia’s weaponization of information. He warned that governments are not ill-prepared and equipped to counter disinformation.

A quote written on it biography He highlights the challenges for those struggling with disinformation on the Wilson Center’s website.

“Disinformation is not a partisan problem; this is democratic and to defeat it requires inter-party, intersectoral, inter-governmental and cross-border cooperation.”