A Judiciary Committee report published Monday revealed the FBI worked with a compromised Ukrainian intelligence agency to remove thousands of social media accounts, including of American journalists, a U.S. State Department account, and many more.
According to the report, the FBI teamed up with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to censor Americans, violating their First Amendment rights and calling into question the agency’s “credibility as the nation’s” top law enforcement organization.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU6 ) sought to identify and impair suspected Russian influence operations on social media.7 The SBU enlisted the FBI in support of this effort, transmitting to the FBI lists of social media accounts that allegedly “spread Russian disinformation.”8 The FBI, in turn, routinely relayed these lists to the relevant social media platforms, which distributed the information internally to their employees in charge of content moderation and enforcement. […]
The Committee’s analysis of these “disinformation” registries revealed that the FBI, at the request of the SBU, flagged for social media companies the authentic accounts of Americans, including a verified U.S. State Department account and those belonging to American journalists. The FBI and SBU repeatedly requested the removal or suspension of authentic accounts expressing unambiguously pro-Ukrainian views, as well as those voicing opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin. At times, the FBI would even follow up with the relevant platform to ensure that “these accounts were taken down.” Regardless of its intended purpose in endorsing the SBU’s requests, the FBI had no legal justification for facilitating the censorship of Americans’ protected speech on social media.
From our latest report:
— Weaponization Committee (@Weaponization) July 10, 2023
The FBI and SBU sent Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta massive spreadsheets containing thousands of accounts to remove, including authentic American accounts. pic.twitter.com/sAnvo4geRj
The FBI and SBU also sought the removal of Facebook and Instagram posts that were SUPPORTIVE of Ukraine and critical of Russia, the invasion, and Vladimir Putin. pic.twitter.com/I0rXl2Z5On
— Weaponization Committee (@Weaponization) July 10, 2023
Concern was also expressed in the report over the FBI's "uncritical cooperation" with the SBU given that in July of 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired the head of the SBU due to Russian infiltration.
"The inclusion of American accounts on the SBU’s lists indicates that the FBI either did not properly vet the SBU’s requests or was aware of their domestic nature, and nonetheless carried them out," the report states, later adding that the requests "appear to have been driven, at least in part, by the SBU’s quest for self-preservation."
FBI Director Christopher Wray is expected to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
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