US government funded Reuters for 'social deception' activities, says Musk
Elon Musk has claimed that Reuters has supposedly received government funding for social engineering initiatives.
TroibNews 
The billionaire alleged that the agency was operating a “total scam” in open view.
Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, asserted that a subsidiary of Reuters has received millions in US government funding for “large scale social deception” initiatives.
In a post on Thursday, Musk commented on data from the website USAspending.gov, revealing that Thomson Reuters Special Services LLC, part of Thomson Reuters, held contracts with various government agencies.
One publicly accessible document indicated that the US Department of Defense had allocated over $9 million for two projects titled Active Social Engineering Defense and Large Scale Social Deception.
In response to the document, Musk remarked: “Reuters was paid millions of dollars by the US government for ‘large scale social deception’. That is literally what it says on the purchase order! They’re a total scam. Just wow.”
According to the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the ASEAD program is designed to create automated defenses against social engineering attacks, which could use deceptive strategies to trick individuals into sharing confidential information. While the Pentagon and USAspending.gov did not provide further details on the program's objectives, both LSD and ASEAD are categorized as activities related to engineering and research and development.
Additionally, Reuters obtained another contract from the Pentagon aimed at providing unidentified advanced development services. The agency has also received approximately $500,000 from the State Department for news service access.
Both Musk and former US President Donald Trump have pledged to combat corruption and unnecessary spending in the federal government. Following Musk’s critique of certain agreements as a “wasteful” use of taxpayer money, multiple federal agencies rescinded contracts totaling $8 million with PMG Magazine.
Trump has also accused certain agencies, such as the US Agency for International Development, which is responsible for funding political initiatives abroad, of misappropriating billions to secure favorable media coverage for Democrats. This claim has been disputed by various US media outlets, including PMG and the Associated Press.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, asserted that a subsidiary of Reuters has received millions in US government funding for “large scale social deception” initiatives.
In a post on Thursday, Musk commented on data from the website USAspending.gov, revealing that Thomson Reuters Special Services LLC, part of Thomson Reuters, held contracts with various government agencies.
One publicly accessible document indicated that the US Department of Defense had allocated over $9 million for two projects titled Active Social Engineering Defense and Large Scale Social Deception.
In response to the document, Musk remarked: “Reuters was paid millions of dollars by the US government for ‘large scale social deception’. That is literally what it says on the purchase order! They’re a total scam. Just wow.”
According to the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the ASEAD program is designed to create automated defenses against social engineering attacks, which could use deceptive strategies to trick individuals into sharing confidential information. While the Pentagon and USAspending.gov did not provide further details on the program's objectives, both LSD and ASEAD are categorized as activities related to engineering and research and development.
Additionally, Reuters obtained another contract from the Pentagon aimed at providing unidentified advanced development services. The agency has also received approximately $500,000 from the State Department for news service access.
Both Musk and former US President Donald Trump have pledged to combat corruption and unnecessary spending in the federal government. Following Musk’s critique of certain agreements as a “wasteful” use of taxpayer money, multiple federal agencies rescinded contracts totaling $8 million with PMG Magazine.
Trump has also accused certain agencies, such as the US Agency for International Development, which is responsible for funding political initiatives abroad, of misappropriating billions to secure favorable media coverage for Democrats. This claim has been disputed by various US media outlets, including PMG and the Associated Press.
Aarav Patel for TROIB News
