I see.
Other criticism came from
progressive and
civil libertarian voices; Benjamin Hart, writing in
New York Magazine's
Intelligencer, said that "presenting anyone from the government as an arbiter of truth in 2022 — much less defining 'disinformation' in a way that more than 40 percent of the population would agree with — seemed doomed from the get-go."
Lev Golinkin, writing in the progressive magazine
The Nation, highlighted Jankowicz's previous association with the fact-checking organization
StopFake, which Golinkin accused of defending the Ukrainian
Azov Battalion and
S14 groups, the latter of which is known for its violent attacks against
Romani people.
Progressive news organizations
Common Dreams and
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) criticized mainstream media coverage of the board, saying that it ignored
left-wing criticism of the board and past
human rights abuses and violence by the DHS and other agencies under the DHS, including violence against
immigrants,
Muslims,
Black Lives Matter protestors, and other activists.
Joe Lancaster, editor of the libertarian magazine
Reason, called the board a potential threat to
free speech, and also highlighted Jankowicz's comments regarding the Biden laptop story.
Techdirt argued that "The biggest problem with [the board] is that it is impossible, right now, to even know whether it's a good idea or not, because it is so unclear what this board is intended to do." and that "its name does not inspire confidence."
Ayaan Hirsi Ali of
UnHerd compared the board to
Woodrow Wilson's
Sedition Act of 1918, which convicted 877 people who dissented against the U.S. government.
Kevin Goldberg, a specialist in the
First Amendment at the non-partisan
Freedom Forum, said that it was "wrong and concerning" that a government agency with enforcement powers created in response to
9/11 would become involved in decisions surrounding speech.