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The LIBRE Initiative Condemns the New DHS Disinformation Governance Board

LIBRE Initiative supports SPEAK Act - The LIBRE Initiative

May 2, 2022

The LIBRE Initiative Condemns the New DHS Disinformation Governance Board

(Arlington, VA) – Today, The LIBRE Initiative, a national Hispanic organization committed to empowering the Hispanic community, expressed disapproval of a proposed U.S. Department of Homeland Security Disinformation Governance Board that will focus on “countering misinformation and disinformation.”

According to reports, the board will tackle misinformation on a range of issues, including what the Department of Homeland Security deems “misinformation in Hispanic communities especially.”

Daniel Garza, president and founder of The LIBRE Initiative, issued the following statement:

“Many in our community have personal experience with government officials determining what speech counts as disinformation and misinformation from the Latin American countries we left behind. We know all too well that governments silence opposition, punish political enemies, and control the flow of information to maintain power under the guise of countering misinformation.”

 Garza went on to add:

“DHS also has a concerning track record when it comes to our community’s civil liberties – from tracking and targeting journalists at the border to collecting biometric data from millions of people who interact with our country’s immigration system each year. Now this. Our community has more than good reason to be alarmed.”

Background

To learn more about how civil liberties, including free expression, make progress possible, please visit The LIBRE Initiative’s sister organization Americans for Prosperity blog post on the topic here.

To read more about the U.S. government’s power to collect biometric data from millions of U.S. citizens, click here.