Mike Benz

Michael Benz is the Executive Director of the Foundation for Freedom Online. Previously, Mr. Benz served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Communications and Information Technology at the U.S. Department of State. Follow him on Twitter @FFO_Freedom.

Political Police? New Docs Show DHS Program To Target “Middle-Aged Pro Life Advocates” and “Budding Conspiracy Theorists” Under Guise Of “Deradicalization”
By Mike Benz

SUMMARY Newly obtained FOIA documents from America First Legal reveal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to produce training videos that get “bystanders” to intervene against “radicalization” of their peers.​ DHS targeted “suburban Moms” with pro-life beliefs and “old high school friends” who believe in “conspiracies” as examples of radicalized citizens in need of bystander…

Read article
Pentagon-Funded Censorship Firm Graphika Began Monitoring Covid “Disinfo” On Dec. 16, 2019 – Two Weeks Before WHO Knew Covid Existed
By Mike Benz

SUMMARY Graphika, a company that monitors online communities for government agencies, began collecting data on social media users sharing “disinformation” about Covid-19 two weeks before the World Health Organization even knew of an outbreak.​ The private firm, which has received millions in Pentagon grants and contracts, targeted “US right-wing” communities as the top disinfo threat,…

Read article
US Gov’t Funding ‘Disinformation’ Video Game ‘Cat Park,’ Leaked State Dept Memo Reveals
By Mike Benz

SUMMARY The US gov’t produced a cat-themed “disinformation” video game to “inoculate” young people against populist news content. The game aspires to create a “psychological vaccination against fake news” in those surfing social media. The US and UK gov’ts plan to embed the game in local schools and educational curricula around the world, especially “ahead…

Read article