The Center for Internet Security (CIS) is a national organization comprised of government agencies, companies and associations that provides cyber-security consulting and information sharing services that is heavily funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. Among its many subject areas, the organization is highly focused on U.S. election infrastructure and operates the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-SAC).

The organization’s election activities during the 2020 election included collecting information from election officials regarding alleged “disinformation” on social media that the CIS then reported to social media platforms to inform their decisions on limiting user activity and suspending accounts. ^{1 2}

The Center for Internet Security was responsible for 16 percent of tickets filed to the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP) during the 2020 election “to flag incidents or emerging narratives to be assessed” and provide information to social media and tech companies, according to the EIP’s after-action report. ³

Background

Founded in 2000, the Center for Internet Security is a nonprofit group specializing in cyber-security research which provides cyber-security consulting services to local, state, and federal governments. The organization has been awarded $115 million in federal grants by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense (DoD) since 2010 and has received $3.6 million in cybersecurity contracts from numerous federal agencies since 2005. ⁴

The Center for Internet Security operates the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), which provides free cybersecurity resources to over 13,000 state, local, tribal, and territorial governments throughout the United States. Partners of the MS-ISAC include the National Governors Association, the Public Technology Institute, the Global Cyber Alliance, the Cybercrime Support Network, and the Cyber Threat Alliance. ⁵

The Center for Internet Security is led by president and CEO John Gilligan, who previously served in senior advisory positions in intelligence and security for the United States Air Force, Department of Energy, and White House Cyber Security Commission under the Obama administration. ⁶

The Center for Internet Security shares an address with the Global Cyber Alliance, which is comprised of federal government officials Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and left-of-center groups such as the Center for Tech and Civic Life, Brennan Center for Justice, Facebook, and the Center for Election Innovation and Research. ^{7 8}

Election-Related Activities

Since 2016, the Center for Internet Security has been active in researching and providing cyber security for election administration through its Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-SAC). In April 2019, the organization published “A Guide for Ensuring Security in Election Technology Procurements,” which was funded by a $290,000 grant from Pierre Omidyar’s Democracy Fund. ⁹

The EI-SAC is comprised of election offices, associations, and election infrastructure vendors to monitor and provide resources regarding election cyber security. While the CIS was founded to focus on cybersecurity threats, the organization’s election activities in recent elections have included collecting information from election officials regarding “disinformation” on social media that CIS then reports to social media platforms to inform their decisions on limiting user activity for suspending accounts. CIS works closely with the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which deferred to the CIS EI-SAC program’s disinformation reporting during the 2020 election and stated the agency did not flag any potentially misleading social media posts. A CISA spokesperson stated that the CIS was responsible for providing information to social media companies “who, as always, make their own decisions according to their own policies.” ^{10 11}

The Center for Internet Security was responsible for 16 percent of tickets filed to the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP) during the 2020 election “to flag incidents or emerging narratives to be assessed” and provide information to social media and tech companies, according to the EIP’s after-action report. The EIP program was operated in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. ¹²

Controversy

According to a Public article written by Michael Shellenberger, the House Judiciary Committee released a report in June 2023, titled “The Weaponization of CISA: How a ‘Cybersecurity’ Agency Colluded with Big Tech and ‘Disinformation’ Partners to Censor Americans,” which claimed that the federal government had worked with tech organizations and other departments to manage censorship efforts. ¹³ One such group was the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which the House Committee report claimed had worked with the CIS into assisting with said efforts. The report continued, “CISA moved its censorship operation to a Department of Homeland Security-funded non-profit after CISA and the Biden Administration were sued in federal court, implicitly admitting that its censorship activities are unconstitutional.” ¹⁴ A statement released by CISA that same month claimed, “CISA does not and has never censored speech or facilitated censorship; any such claims are patently false.” ¹⁵ According to Shellenberger’s article, CISA director Jen Easterly had previously described the group’s work by explaining, “One could argue we’re in the business of critical infrastructure, and the most critical infrastructure is our cognitive infrastructure, so building that resilience to misinformation and disinformation, I think, is incredibly important.” ¹⁶

1. Starks, Tim. “CISA is taking a hands-off approach to election lies on Twitter.” The Washington Post. November 7, 2022. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/07/cisa-is-taking-hands-off-approach-election-lies-twitter/
2. “Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing & Analysis Center.” Center for Internet Security. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://www.cisecurity.org/ei-isac
3. Mittelstadt, Natalia. “DHS-funded nonprofit censoring election info also provides cybersecurity to election offices.” Just the News. March 6, 2023. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/dhs-funded-nonprofit-censoring-election-info-also-provides-cybersecurity
4. Usaspending.gov. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://www.usaspending.gov/search/?hash=1e8645a7ce88a2ba9225863308249f9b
5. “Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center.” Center for Internet Security. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://www.cisecurity.org/ms-isac
6. “John M. Gilligan – President & Chief Executive Officer.” CIS. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://www.cisecurity.org/about-us/leadership/john-m-gilligan/
7. Mittelstadt, Natalia. “DHS-funded nonprofit censoring election info also provides cybersecurity to election offices.” Just the News. March 6, 2023. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/dhs-funded-nonprofit-censoring-election-info-also-provides-cybersecurity
8. “Advisory Group.” GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Elections. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://gcatoolkit.org/elections/advisory-group/
9. “Election Technology Procurements Guide.” CIS, July 9, 2021. https://www.cisecurity.org/blog/election-technology-procurements-guide/
10. Starks, Tim. “CISA is taking a hands-off approach to election lies on Twitter.” The Washington Post. November 7, 2022. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/07/cisa-is-taking-hands-off-approach-election-lies-twitter/
11. “Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing & Analysis Center.” Center for Internet Security. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://www.cisecurity.org/ei-isac
12. Mittelstadt, Natalia. “DHS-funded nonprofit censoring election info also provides cybersecurity to election offices.” Just the News. March 6, 2023. Accessed March 16, 2023. https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/dhs-funded-nonprofit-censoring-election-info-also-provides-cybersecurity
13. Shellenberger, Michael. “EXPOSED: Secret Government Effort To Regulate Your Mind.” Public, June 27, 2023. https://public.substack.com/p/exposed-secret-government-effort?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
14. Shellenberger, Michael. “EXPOSED: Secret Government Effort To Regulate Your Mind.” Public, June 27, 2023. https://public.substack.com/p/exposed-secret-government-effort?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
15. Shellenberger, Michael. “EXPOSED: Secret Government Effort To Regulate Your Mind.” Public, June 27, 2023. https://public.substack.com/p/exposed-secret-government-effort?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
16. Shellenberger, Michael. “EXPOSED: Secret Government Effort To Regulate Your Mind.” Public, June 27, 2023. https://public.substack.com/p/exposed-secret-government-effort?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email