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ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--event js-stickybar\">\n<div class=\"stickybar__details\" readability=\"4.952380952381\">\n<div class=\"stickybar__info js-sticky-bar-content\" readability=\"32\">\n<p>Voting is open for the 2024 CyberScoop 50 awards! <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <a class=\"stickybar__link button button-tertiary\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/cyberscoop50\/vote\/\">Click here!<\/a> <\/div>\n<p> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"24.029661016949\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"28.827586206897\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/news\/election-security\/\"> <span>Election Security<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> The report gave CISA high marks for its election security work but raised questions about a lack of strategic guidance from DHS. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"341\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/oig-audit-calls-for-more-clarity-from-cisa-dhs-on-disinformation-mission.jpg?resize=640%2C341&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt=\"CISA, DHS, Department of Homeland Security, RSA 2019\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/oig-audit-calls-for-more-clarity-from-cisa-dhs-on-disinformation-mission-2.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/oig-audit-calls-for-more-clarity-from-cisa-dhs-on-disinformation-mission-2.jpg?resize=300,160 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/oig-audit-calls-for-more-clarity-from-cisa-dhs-on-disinformation-mission-2.jpg?resize=768,410 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/oig-audit-calls-for-more-clarity-from-cisa-dhs-on-disinformation-mission-2.jpg?resize=1024,546 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/oig-audit-calls-for-more-clarity-from-cisa-dhs-on-disinformation-mission-2.jpg?resize=1536,819 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/oig-audit-calls-for-more-clarity-from-cisa-dhs-on-disinformation-mission-2.jpg?resize=600,320 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/oig-audit-calls-for-more-clarity-from-cisa-dhs-on-disinformation-mission-2.jpg?resize=1200,640 1200w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/oig-audit-calls-for-more-clarity-from-cisa-dhs-on-disinformation-mission-2.jpg?resize=1500,800 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption> The DHS and CISA booth at the 2019 RSA conference in San Francisco. (Scoop News Group photo) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"49.77232682674\"><body readability=\"100.49684210526\"><\/p>\n<p>A federal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oig.dhs.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/assets\/2024-09\/OIG-24-52-Sep24.pdf\">audit<\/a> released this week gives the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency generally high marks for its work protecting election infrastructure from cyber and physical threats, coordinating with other federal agencies and supporting state and local officials.<\/p>\n<p>But it also provided further evidence that the agency is playing a reduced role around disinformation this election cycle, citing a lack of strategic guidance from the Department of Homeland Security, outside lawsuits and evolving views within the agency about its role and responsibilities.<\/p>\n<p>The review, conducted by DHS\u2019s Office of the Inspector General, said CISA discontinued its efforts to work with social media companies around disinformation after the 2022 election.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCISA did not specify why it stopped communicating with social media companies,\u201d auditors wrote, adding that a senior agency official said CISA \u201cchanged its efforts to counter disinformation based on the evolution of the disinformation mission during that time.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>2022 was the same year that two states filed lawsuits against the federal government, alleging the engagements violated the First Amendment rights of American citizens. That case eventually <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/supreme-court-rejects-effort-to-limit-government-communication-on-misinformation\/\">reached the Supreme Court<\/a>, where it was dismissed due to lack of standing. <\/p>\n<p>In addition to the lawsuits, the audit also revealed that CISA\u2019s reticence to engage in more robust efforts around disinformation may also stem in part from a lack of guidance and direction from DHS leadership.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2019, auditors have pressed DHS officials to update the National Infrastructure Protection Plan and other strategy documents that would further scope out CISA\u2019s role addressing the problem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDHS still has not updated critical plans to include the specific goals, objectives, milestones and priorities needed to monitor and secure the election infrastructure and address other emerging threats, such as disinformation,\u201d auditors wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The department has faced its own political blowback over the issue. In 2022, DHS announced the formation of a Disinformation Governance Board. While it had no legal authority to unilaterally censor speech online \u2014 and its makeup was not dissimilar from the countless other advisory boards created across the federal government \u2014 the effort <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmagazine.com\/analysis\/dhs-board-reignites-debate-on-proper-role-of-feds-when-fighting-disinformation\">drew harsh criticism<\/a> from Republicans on Capitol Hill, as well as civil digital liberty groups across the ideological spectrum before it was eventually disbanded.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>CyberScoop has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment on the Inspector General\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n<p>The widespread and factually baseless belief among primarily Republican and conservative voters that the 2020 presidential election was marred by election fraud has, <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/picketed-at-work-confronted-at-church-why-election-workers-have-left-the-job\/\">in the minds of many election officials<\/a>, contributed to a surge in harassment and violent threats directed toward election offices over the past four years.<\/p>\n<p>When DHS auditors interviewed state and local officials in 13 different states, they largely praised CISA\u2019s work providing expertise, technical assessments of vulnerabilities in their election infrastructure and other needed resources. However, a majority also cited disinformation as the top threat facing their elections this year.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, CISA Director Jen Easterly told reporters that while the agency has resumed communications with social media platforms in the wake of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/23pdf\/23-411_3dq3.pdf\">Supreme Court ruling<\/a>, those discussions <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/cisa-moves-away-from-trying-to-influence-content-moderation-decisions-on-election-disinformation\/\">no longer include<\/a> efforts to influence content moderation decisions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Following that briefing, a CISA spokesperson told CyberScoop that the agency\u2019s \u201cswitchboarding\u201d operations, wherein officials flagged accounts or posts on social media that they believed were spreading disinformation around elections to platforms for content moderation review, was not utilized during the 2022 election cycle. That matches what Geoff Hale, then-lead of CISA\u2019s election security and resilience team, claimed in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25169305-0266-5-ex-97_hale-declaration\">court documents<\/a> submitted last year.<\/p>\n<p>The agency still carries out a number of activities around disinformation, which are mostly focused on amplifying state and local officials as authoritative sources on election and voting information and providing general guidance, training and tabletop exercises around the issue. CISA officials have also taken part in cross-agency briefings held this year around foreign malign influence efforts and disinformation campaigns targeting the 2024 elections.<\/p>\n<p>In an attached response to the audit, Easterly said the agency \u201cremains committed to assisting election infrastructure against the risk of foreign malign influence operations and disinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She cited three lines of effort that make up the foundation of the agency\u2019s mission around disinformation: developing publicly available security guidance for election officials about the tactics and techniques used by foreign influence campaigns, providing context to common disinformation narratives and themes through websites like their \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisa.gov\/topics\/election-security\/rumor-vs-reality\">Election Security Rumor vs. Reality<\/a>\u201d website, and amplifying state and local officials as authoritative sources on accurate election- and voting-related information. <\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"3.4884547069272\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"13\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/oig-audit-calls-for-more-clarity-from-cisa-dhs-on-disinformation-mission-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Derek B. Johnson\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Derek B. Johnson<\/h4>\n<p> Derek B. Johnson is a reporter at CyberScoop, where his beat includes cybersecurity, elections and the federal government. Prior to that, he has provided award-winning coverage of cybersecurity news across the public and private sectors for various publications since 2017. Derek has a bachelor\u2019s degree in print journalism from Hofstra University in New York and a master\u2019s degree in public policy from George Mason University in Virginia. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> 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{"id":5413,"date":"2024-09-20T14:05:14","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T19:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=81847"},"modified":"2024-09-20T14:05:14","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T19:05:14","slug":"oig-audit-calls-for-more-clarity-from-cisa-dhs-on-disinformation-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/09\/20\/oig-audit-calls-for-more-clarity-from-cisa-dhs-on-disinformation-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"OIG audit calls for more clarity from CISA, DHS on disinformation mission\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"