IU latest in string of conservative group investigations on alleged ‘censorship-industrial complex’
The Observatory on Social Media at Indiana University studies “the role of media and technology in society,” its website reads, and builds tools to “analyze and counter disinformation and manipulation on social media.” As part of that mission, the group conducts research on AI-supported fact-checking and large language models (LLMs), examining the potential and limitations of these technologies in countering misinformation.
Indiana Daily Student
Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian conservative legal advocacy group, is investigating IU for what it deems participation in the “censorship-industrial complex” by requesting 10 types of records from the university.
The ADF announced the investigation on its website and by sending out press releases, including one sent directly to the IDS. The release said it is examining “misinformation” centers or tools designed to identify speech “disfavored” by the federal government at IU, the University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, University of North Carolina and the University of California, Los Angeles.
At IU, the ADF is specifically investigating The Observatory on Social Media and eight of its faculty members. The observatory studies “the role of media and technology in society,” and builds tools to “analyze and counter disinformation and manipulation on social media,” according to its website.
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