Judiciary report reveals FBI colluded with Ukrainian officials to censor Americans on social networks

A report issued by the House Judiciary Committee revealed that the FBI colluded with a Ukrainian intelligence agency to pressure social networking companies to censor Americans.

The document issued with the Federal Select Subcommittee on Federal Government Armaments explains that the Federal Bureau of Investigation colluded with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and flagged U.S. accounts for removal from social networks on the grounds of combating Russian disinformation propaganda.

According to the report based on documents cited by Meta and Alphabet, the flagged accounts included verified accounts of journalists and the U.S. State Department.

"The new information highlights the FBI's unconstitutional role in enabling the SBU's censorship regime and raises grave concerns about the FBI's credibility, reliability, and competence as the nation's premier law enforcement organization," the report states, highlighting that the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is the foundation of the country's political system and guarantees the free right to express one's opinion.

Government limitations on social networks

Before the committee issued this report, a lawsuit had already been filed against the Biden Administration for allegedly coercing social media companies to censor posts by U.S. citizens against the measures taken to combat covid-19.

In the wake of the lawsuit, a federal judge implemented an injunction limiting communication between senior government officials and executives from social networks. Although the Department of Justice tried to put this ruling on hold on the grounds that it was too broad and threatened to affect the administration's obligation to protect national security and other responsibilities, the judge denied the DOJ's request, and therefore the limitation was maintained.