Topic: Global Engagement Center

The discussion focuses on the State Department's Global Engagement Center (GEC) and the 2012 modernization of the Smith-Mundt Act. Audio clips of Victoria Nuland and other officials describe coordinating with tech companies to counter Russian disinformation. The hosts argue these tools are actually used to target and propagandize domestic audiences using sophisticated social media advertising metrics.

Heather Nauert provides an update on the Global Engagement Center (GEC), which is soliciting proposals to counter state-sponsored disinformation. The center, now funded by the Department of Defense, is described by the hosts as a "propaganda team" that recruits private sector talent and uses cutting-edge technology to manage data and messaging.

The State Department's Global Engagement Center has significantly increased funding to counter foreign messaging using private sector technology and Facebook ads. Officials describe using highly targeted social media campaigns to reach specific demographics in foreign countries for "pennies a click." Concerns are raised regarding the 1974 Privacy Act and the 2013 repeal of the Smith-Mundt Act regarding data collection on U.S. citizens.

The State Department announced the creation of the Global Engagement Center, led by Michael D. Lumpkin, to counter extremist messaging from groups like ISIL. The center will utilize data science and social media campaigns to "synchronize messaging" to foreign audiences. Critics describe this as the institutionalization of government propaganda, with plans to fund media startups and "positive messengers."