Staff Reports
The Secretary of State of Oregon was apprehended while monitoring social media for threats to election security; however, conservatives appeared to be the primary targets of this surveillance. Documents obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation disclose the manner in which the office of the Secretary of State contracted Logically AI, an artificial intelligence firm, to identify conservative posts addressing a range of contentious issues. Mail-in ballots, voter identification cards, and the impact of "dark money" in elections were among these concerns. Clearly, the state officials were more concerned with silencing conservative voices than with preserving the integrity of the elections.
EXCLUSIVE: Blue State Hired AI Company To Track Election 'Misinformation.' It Routinely Flagged Conservative Opinionshttps://t.co/0jLswqE3MW
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 17, 2024
At this time, the office of the Secretary of State desires to re-engage Logically AI to continue their election cycle monitoring through 2024. However, state Republicans, voters, and even talk show moderators oppose this action. And quite appropriately so! The state should refrain from assuming the role of truth arbiter or suppressor of speech that it finds objectionable. Ed Diehl, a Republican state representative from Oregon, aptly criticized the actions of the Secretary of State after obtaining hundreds of internal documents regarding the monitoring program. He noted that suppressing debate regarding our elections only serves to increase doubt and uncertainty. Diehl is cognizant of the fact that Oregonians anticipate integrity and transparency in elections, not censorship and biased monitoring.
LaVonne Griffin-Valade, secretary of state for Oregon, defended the program, stating that it utilized reports from Logically AI to monitor and report online threats to law enforcement. She contended that they were merely refuting erroneous narratives. However, as evidenced by the documents obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation, Logically AI's reports frequently targeted conservative viewpoints in addition to fraudulent accusations. As instances of a "high" risk "misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation (MDM) narrative" that required rebuttal, the reports identified posts that were critical of mail-in voting while also endorsing voter ID. This is utter nonsense! It is critical to consider all perspectives, even those that contradict the prevailing consensus.
Posts that made reference to "Twitter files," a collection of articles that exposed Twitter's partial censorship of conservative perspectives, were also targeted by Logically AI. Rather than acknowledging the critical nature of exposing this censorship, Logically categorized these posts as potentially harmful. This is an attempt to stifle sentiments that are critical of the government and Big Tech. However, ought not our apprehension encompass the power and sway wielded by these major players? It is evident that the Secretary of State's office and Logically AI are more concerned with maintaining the status quo than with permitting candid and open dialogue.
Logically AI's surveillance extended beyond the purview of conservative viewpoints. Additionally, posts that alleged Democratic megadonor contributions influenced Oregon elections were flagged. However, rather than permitting this discourse to proceed, Logically AI issued a caution against engaging with this narrative. The same was true for posts that suggested Democrats depend on the ballots of undocumented immigrants in order to secure electoral victory. This action represents an effort to stifle valid apprehensions and scrutiny regarding governmental procedures. Republicans in Oregon are entirely justified in opposing this violation of free expression.
In essence, the office of the Secretary of State refutes any allegations of censorship or surveillance, asserting that their intended function is to counteract threats and disinformation. The evidence, however, stands indisputable. Social media platforms granted "preferred status" to Logically AI as a "trusted entity," granting them the ability to submit an unlimited quantity of content removal requests. Not to mention, Logically AI is a member of the Election Information Sharing and Analysis Center of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which is a division of the Department of Homeland Security. This agency recruited pro-censorship organizations and left-leaning research groups, including an individual who censored conservatives on Twitter. This surveillance program manifestly serves as an endeavor to stifle conservative viewpoints and exert influence over public sentiment. The citizens of Oregon are entitled to greater.
