FBI To Resume Coordination With Social Media Companies

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will resume utilizing its Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF) to collaborate with social media companies before the 2024 presidential election.

The Details: The FBI will resume regular meetings with social media companies by the end of August, after being ordered by a court to stop last year.

For Context: The FITF is purposed to protect the integrity of U.S. election systems from foreign influences by sharing threatening information with social media companies but has faced criticism for not having proper policies to protect from 1st Amendment infringements after Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz released an evaluation spelling out such concerns.

Concerns Aren’t New: The Supreme Court ruled on June 26 with a 6-3 majority that the plaintiffs had no standing under Article III of the Constitution and thus reversed the previous decision stopping FITF collaboration. The plaintiffs' decision to pursue action was grounded in subversion and censorship complaints surrounding events like COVID-19, alleged Russian interference in the 2020 elections, and issues relating to Hunter Biden’s laptop.

How the Media Covered It: Media on the right offered many perspectives, with coverage on the left much sparser. Left outlets, like The Washington Post (Lean Left bias), said Horowitz’s report shows much more nuance than Elon Musk’s Twitter Files. From the right, the Wall Street Journal editorial board (Lean Right bias) gave examples of when FITF averted real foreign influences, saying if Horowitz's evaluation brings transparency, "then it is a good step forward.”