The Stanford Internet Observatory, a group that studies so-called online misinformation and was the subject of congressional investigations into government censorship of Americans, is effectively closing down, according to media reports.
In a report released in November, the House Judiciary Committee and its Weaponization Select Subcommittee found that researchers working for a partnership between the observatory and the University of Washington — the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP) — had worked with federal officials and social-media companies to violate the free-speech rights of conservatives.
Now, new reporting from Platformer and the Washington Post indicates that Stanford’s Cyber Policy Center will absorb what remains of the observatory, which was founded five years ago by former Facebook chief security officer Alex Stamos and currently employs just three staffers.