The government has renamed its Counter-Disinformation Unit (CDU) to the National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT) amid allegations of suppressing free speech.
In July, the government defended its CDU, addressing concerns that labelled it as “Orwellian-sounding” and “suspicious,” by asserting that it does not monitor individuals or make referrals to social media companies.
Linked to intelligence agencies, the NSOIT is reportedly now focused on combating the deliberate spreading of false information by foreign states, marking a shift from its pandemic-era activities.
The original CDU was an initiative established to combat the spread of false or misleading information, particularly on digital platforms and social media. It aimed to address the rising challenges associated with disinformation campaigns, misinformation, and ‘fake news’ that can influence public opinion, create social unrest, or undermine trust in institutions.
The CDU was set up to safeguard the public from the harmful effects of perceived misinformation, especially during critical events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It employed various strategies, including monitoring online content, identifying and countering disinformation narratives, and collaborating with social media platforms to mitigate the impact of false information.
Rebrand Is ‘Disinformation’
The director of the Free Speech Union, which defends the rights of free speech and offers legal advice to its members, Toby Young, told The Epoch Times that the rebrand was itself “disinformation.”
“Renaming an anti-disinformation unit to disguise its true purpose and make it sound like just another dull bureaucratic agency is straight out of 1984. In fact, it’s a form of disinformation,” he concluded.
According to the government’s original “fact sheet” on the CDU, it defines misinformation as “the deliberate creation and spreading of false and/or manipulated information that is intended to deceive and mislead people, either for the purposes of causing harm, or for political, personal or financial gain. Misinformation is the inadvertent spread of false information.”
Campaigners have frequently warned that this could stray into impinging on civil liberties without more public accountability and transparency.
Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, a civil liberties advocacy organisation that released a comprehensive report on the activities of the CDU earlier this year, told the media, “We won’t accept a superficial rebrand and will continue to scrutinise the unit. It’s important the unit now publishes and follows rules that prevent it from the political monitoring and censorship of lawful.”
Government Tacks Towards National Security
The CDU was among several tools the government has used for ‘misinformation,’ like the Rapid Response Unit (RRU), which was established in 2018 and closed in 2022.While the latterly established CDU focused on addressing the spread of false information and disinformation campaigns on digital platforms, the RRU was designed to provide a swift and agile response to media coverage of emerging issues, particularly those related to misinformation and public concerns.
The RRU played a crucial role in countering rapidly evolving narratives, especially during critical events or emergencies, by quickly disseminating news as “reliable information” to the public. It aimed to address and correct false claims, rumours, or misleading content circulating in the public domain.
This latest development seeks to shift the focus of the NSOIT away from tackling individual cases of “disinformation” and focus on tackling the source of perceived international security threats.
A spokesman for the government said, “The name of the team has changed to more accurately reflect their remit and works to tackle some of the most significant national security risks facing the UK.”
