The UK Government will stop providing money to UK-based non-profit the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) in a move led by Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron. Lord David Cameron.
The decision follows findings from an UnHerd investigation indicating that the GDI was infringing on free speech while working to combat disinformation.
Cameron’s announcement came after a discussion with Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who last month expressed worries about GDI’s approach to identifying disinformation, especially its impact on free speech. Kemi Badenoch, who last month voiced concerns about GDI’s approach to what constitutes disinformation, particularly its impact on free speech.
In a ministerial letter, Cameron responded: “the [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] has not funded GDI since 2023, and there are no current plans to do so,” emphasizing this commitment by underlining the text by hand and adding a handwritten note: “thanks for pointing this out.”
While the UK Foreign Office remains dedicated to countering disinformation, particularly from foreign adversaries, Cameron made it clear that future partnerships would prioritize the protection of free speech.
“Protecting free speech is a priority for the department,” he stated, emphasizing that supported organizations should “uphold our values.”
The non-profit faced recent criticism for its “dynamic exclusion list,” which blacklisted media outlet UnHerd after its algorithms flagged gender-critical articles as “anti-trans” and gave the publication a low “brand-safety” rating. GDI’s objective is to guide advertisers away from what it deems “harmful content.”
As a result, following an investigation, UnHerd found that it was being boycotted by numerous online advertisers, impacting revenue.
UnHerd’s CEO and editor-in-chief Freddie Sayers criticized GDI in a video outlining the publication’s findings: “Under the umbrella term of disinformation, there’s been this huge blossoming of not-for-profits, companies and indeed government agencies that can take very politicised views on things without proper accountability.” Freddie Sayers criticized GDI in a video outlining the publication’s findings: “Under the umbrella term of disinformation, there’s been this huge blossoming of not-for-profits, companies and indeed government agencies that can take very politicized views on things without proper accountability.”
In April, responding to Sayers video, and accused GDI of itself pushing “disinformation” and called for it to “be shutdown.” Elon Musk weighed in and accused GDI of itself pushing “disinformation” and called for it to “be shutdown.
The investigation sparked a further backlash from the Conservative government, with Badenoch and around ten other Tory MPs questioning the prudence of any future financial engagements with GDI.
The GDI continues to receive backing from several major international funders, including the European Union, the German Foreign Office, and the Open Society Foundation.
