The FBI has resumed some of its efforts to share information with some American tech companies about foreign propagandists using their platforms after it ceased contact for more than half a year, multiple people familiar with the matter told NBC News. The program, established during the Trump administration, briefed tech giants like Microsoft, Google and Meta when the U.S. intelligence community found evidence of covert influence operations using their products to mislead Americans.
The briefings became a fixation for Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee and Jordan, its chair, who proposed without proof that the briefings were part of an FBI conspiracy to help President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign by hiding emails from Biden’s son Hunter. Tech companies disputed that characterization. The briefings generally involved FBI representatives’ giving the companies information that the U.S.