Oct 12, 2020 12:15:00

U.S. government seizes 92 domains for military propaganda coverage

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that it has seized 92 domains operated by the military organization

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) , saying it 'disseminated disinformation that was biased in favor of the Iranian side.' Four of the seized domains were disseminating information within the United States under the guise of the press.

United States Seizes Domain Names Used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps | OPA | Department of Justice
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-seizes-domain-names-used-iran-s-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps

Takedown of 92 Iran-owned domains includes 4 used for disinformation in US, feds say
https://www.cyberscoop.com/iran-propaganda-domains-takedown/

Of the 92 domains seized, four were acting as news outlets, 'newsstand7.com,' 'usjournal.net,' 'usjournal.us,' and 'twtoday.net,' but are actually managed by IRGC. In the domain, it was said that propaganda that affected domestic and foreign policies was spread throughout the United States. In addition, the remaining 88 domains are propaganda in Western Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, all pretending to be real news media.

All 92 domains were managed by American companies. It is a violation of the US Foreign Agent Registration Act for IRGC to operate a site using a domain service for the United States without a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States. As a result, 92 domains have been seized after being claimed jurisdiction by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Treasury.

by Mohammad Sadegh Heydari

According to the Justice Ministry, the investigation started with information obtained from Google and proceeded in collaboration with the FBI, Google, Facebook, and Twitter. The FBI said, 'This case is a good example of how the FBI prioritizes maintaining ongoing relationships with various social media and technology companies. If such relationships are maintained, national security and democracy. To protect the democratic process from threats, we will be able to exchange information quickly, 'he said, calling for constant attention when sharing information found on social media.

FBI Assistant Attorney John C. Demars said, 'We have the Iranian government abused American companies and social media to secretly spread propaganda, secretly affecting the American people and causing discord. We will continue to use all means to prevent it from being produced, 'he said, showing his willingness to fight the overseas propaganda media that broadcast fake news.

'The fake news organization is a new way to disinformation as authoritarian nations continue to undermine our democracy,' said Demars. It shows that various laws can be used to justify the value of transparency. '