FBI restarts communications with social media companies over 'disinformation' ahead of 2024 election

Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, revealed at a briefing during the RSA Conference that intelligence agencies, including the FBI, have resumed discussions with social media companies in preparation for the upcoming 2024 election.

This announcement coincides with the ongoing hearings at the Supreme Court regarding Murthy v. Missouri, a case focusing on allegations that federal agencies pressured social media platforms to remove specific content, such as COVID-19 vaccine-related information, prior to the 2020 presidential election. 

Warner noted that these communications between government agencies and social media platforms resumed around the time when several judges seemed inclined to support the executive branch's position on the matter, as reported by NextGov.

Warner explained that the White House lawyers have been "too timid" into their interpretation of the Supreme Court case, and intelligence agencies have rolled back their communications with social media companies about disinformation over the last six months.

”There seemed to be a lot of sympathy that the government ought to have at least voluntary communications with [the companies],” Warner said, emphasizing that the Biden administration should call out foreign entities that are allegedly trying to interfere with the US election. 

Warner also announced his senate committee will hold a hearing in two weeks about election security. 

In addition to discussing election security, Warner also highlighted the potential risks associated with advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) leading up to the election.

“If the bad guy started to launch AI-driven tools that would threaten election officials in key communities, that clearly falls into the foreign interference category,” said Warner.

The Federalist reached out to the FBI and was able to confirm Warner's comments:

"The FBI remains committed to combatting foreign malign influence operations, including in connection with our elections. That effort includes sharing specific foreign threat information with state and local election officials and private sector companies when appropriate and rigorously consistent with the law," an FBI representative told The Federalist.

"In coordination with the Department of Justice, the FBI recently implemented procedures to facilitate sharing information about foreign malign influence with social media companies in a way that reinforces that private companies are free to decide on their own whether and how to take action on that information."