Elon Musk has once again positioned himself as a vocal critic of government overreach and censorship, this time taking aim at the Global Engagement Center (GEC), a US State Department initiative established in 2016 under President Barack Obama. The program, which officially ceased operations in December 2024, allegedly collaborated with various organizations to suppress free speech under the pretext of combating foreign disinformation.

The controversy surrounding the GEC gained fresh momentum following a recent report published by the conservative advocacy group America First Legal (AFL) on March 20. The report revealed communications between the GEC, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and various “media censorship organizations” such as Poynter and NewsGuard. These entities, according to AFL, engaged in efforts to manipulate public discourse and control media narratives.

Musk, known for his outspoken advocacy for free speech and criticism of content moderation policies, reacted to the AFL report with alarm. “Wow, this is crazy!” he posted on X (formerly Twitter), amplifying concerns about the program’s impact on public discourse.

The GEC was originally established to counter foreign disinformation campaigns, particularly those attributed to Russia, China, and other geopolitical adversaries. However, AFL’s investigation suggests that its scope extended far beyond that, allegedly working in coordination with private entities to influence what information was considered trustworthy and what was labeled as........

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