Thomson Reuters (TRI.TO) has pushed back against criticism following allegations from tech mogul Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump that the company participated in “large scale social deception” on behalf of the U.S. government. The controversy stems from a contract between the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Thomson Reuters Special Services (TRSS), a division of the Toronto-based media and technology firm.
On Thursday, Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to accuse Reuters of receiving millions from the U.S. government for “large scale social deception.” Trump echoed the sentiment on Truth Social, calling Reuters “Radical Left” and demanding that they “GIVE BACK THE MONEY, NOW!”
At the center of the outrage is a four-year, $9 million contract awarded to TRSS between 2018 and 2022—during Trump’s first term. The contract, which ended under the Biden administration, was focused on developing automated defenses against social engineering attacks, a form of cyber threat where individuals are manipulated into revealing sensitive information. The research was conducted in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory and was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Musk and Trump, along with others, took issue with certain terminology used in the DoD contracts, specifically references to “Active Social Engineering” and “Large Scale Social Deception (LSD).”
Thomson Reuters has strongly denied any wrongdoing, emphasizing that the project was intended to enhance cybersecurity by protecting against phishing and other digital threats. DARPA’s website details the project, describing the need for technology that can automatically detect, disrupt, and investigate social engineering attacks.
According to DARPA, social engineering is responsible for over 80% of cyberattacks, often targeting individuals and organizations through deception. The Active Social Engineering Defense (ASED) program was designed to combat these threats by identifying attacks in real-time and mitigating their impact.
The DARPA website states:
“To build secure cyber systems, it is necessary to protect not only the computers and networks that make up these systems but their human users as well.”
“The ASED program aims to develop the core technology to enable the capability to automatically identify, disrupt, and investigate social engineering attacks.”
Despite these explanations, scrutiny has intensified following revelations from The Salty Soldier, which found that DARPA’s webpage summarizing the project was first archived in December 2024. The summary page was only updated in February 2025 to state the program had concluded, raising questions about whether the documentation was retroactively added.
Trump also turned his criticism toward other media organizations, including Politico and The New York Times. In a Truth Social post, he questioned the amount of money received by these outlets, exclaiming, “PAY BACK THE MONEY TO THE TAXPAYERS!”
Adding fuel to the fire, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) revealed that the U.S. government spent $40 million on subscriptions to The New York Times. Musk, who heads DOGE, has been vocal about exposing alleged payments to media outlets by federal agencies, particularly the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
While there is no confirmed evidence of Reuters engaging in “large scale social deception” as Musk and Trump allege, the controversy has raised concerns about government contracts with media-affiliated organizations. The timing of the DARPA webpage’s appearance only fuels further speculation about transparency and accountability in federal cybersecurity initiatives.
Thomson Reuters maintains that its involvement was purely in the interest of national security, aimed at preventing cyber threats rather than engaging in deception. However, with ongoing scrutiny from high-profile figures and watchdogs, the debate over the contract’s true purpose is unlikely to subside anytime soon.
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