US establishes center to combat foreign propaganda and disinformation

The US Department of Defense's budget for 2017 includes the creation of a special center dedicated to countering foreign propaganda, the corresponding law was signed by President Barack Obama on December 23.

The White House of the United States. Photo: Fotolia.

According to Section 1259S of the Act, the budget providing funding to build the center will "conduct and coordinate efforts to monitor propaganda and foreign efforts to spread disinformation with the intent of undermining the national interests of the United States."

The center will also “develop strategies to counter such campaigns.” Its mandate, in particular, will include “allocating funding to sustain civil society groups, journalists, non-governmental organizations (NPOs), private companies, and academic research institutes involved in analyzing, gathering information, and combating foreign disinformation,” as the 2017 defense budget law says.

According to Sputnik