The Biden Administration is Not Transforming the DHS Into a Modern Day Gestapo
The Claim
Under President Biden and his allies in big tech, the DHS will turn into a new Gestapo, thanks to social media spying.
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Emerging story
Shortly after President Biden was declared to be the winner of the 2020 presidential election some people began claiming that he would turn the Department of Homeland Security into the new Gestapo.
In late March and early April, 2021, these claims intensified when a number of conspiracy sites reported that the Biden Administration’s Department of Homeland Security was being helped by large tech companies to spy on American citizens through social media. These sites stated that through these actions, the government was creating a new Gestapo.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation has discovered that claims that the Biden Administration is transforming the Department of Homeland Security into a new Gestapo are false.
The Gestapo was the Nazi Government’s secret police force. It was known for its brutal operations.
The conspiracy sites base their claims on an NBC News report that said The Department of Homeland Security was updating its policies to focus on domestic terrorisism instead of international terrorism.
The officials behind the shift confirmed that the DHS aimed to improve its relationships with companies that scour public data for intelligence purposes. However, these measures would be in place to detect individuals and groups who were planning violent acts, not people who disagreed with the Biden Administration. This further disputes comparisons to the Gestapo, who persecuted people for disagreeing with those in power.
One further measure that differentiates the DHS’s new operations from the Gestapo’s is that the DHS would involve lawyers, outside advocates, and civil liberties personnel to ensure civil rights are upheld.
Despite these assurances, it is legitimate to be aware of whether an entity such as the DHS could overstep its duties when monitoring individuals. However, looking at the evidence, it is hard to believe that the DHS under the Biden Administration will resort to eliminating political opposition, rounding up minorities, or ordering prisoners to be murdered, as happened under the Gestapo.
It is common for people to compare those that they are opposed to with the Nazis. For instance, when Donald Trump was the president a number of people stated that he was turning the DHS into a new Gestapo.
This kind of discourse even has a name: Godwin’s Law. Godwin’s Law specifically refers to internet arguments that culminate with one person comparing the other to Hitler, the Nazis or other members of The Third Reich. These DHS/Gestapo comparisons are not between individuals, but they do highlight a similar propensity to compare someone who has a different approach as being as bad as what many consider to be the most evil regime in history.
