Issue One criticizes Trump administration’s rollback of safeguards against foreign influence operations

In response to the recent news that Justice Department Attorney General Pam Bondi would limit enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and disband the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force, and that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem had put employees from the Election Security and Resilience division of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on administrative leave, Issue One Vice President of Technology Reform Alix Fraser provided the following statement:

“The cumulative effect of these decisions is that Americans are more vulnerable to online attacks from foreign adversaries that undermine our democracy. Stopping foreign malign actors from meddling in the United States’ internal affairs is not a partisan issue — we all suffer when China, Russia, Iran, and others are allowed to sow discord and division in our information environment. We urge Congress to use the powers it is granted in the Constitution to exercise oversight of federal agencies, like the Justice Department, to enforce the existing safeguards that protect our democracy and national security.”

Background:

In December 2024, Issue One released a report on how the design and operations of U.S. social media companies empowered foreign adversaries to wage sophisticated information warfare during the last election. The report found that foreign governments spread at least 160 false narratives in the United States, especially during national disasters. It also provided Congress recommendations about what to do to avoid the same mistakes in future elections. Read the full report.