US builds portal to let Europeans access blocked internet content
What's the story
The United States is developing a new website, freedom.gov, to help Europeans bypass government restrictions on content. The site aims to allow users to access information that may be blocked in their countries, including alleged hate speech and terrorism-related content. This initiative follows the Trump administration's decision to dismantle the Internet Freedom program, which previously funded global grassroots groups developing technologies for circumventing censorship.
Website details
'Information is power'
The freedom.gov website features an image of a ghostly horse galloping above the Earth, with the tagline: "Information is power. Reclaim your human right to free expression. Get ready." Although reports indicate that the State Department developed this portal, it is actually managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a branch of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Program legacy
Internet Freedom program funded $500 million in past decade
The Internet Freedom program, which has been active for the past decade, has given over $500 million to digital rights experts from countries like Myanmar, Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela. These experts have developed tools that allow local populations to access the global internet. However, some critics believe freedom.gov is an attempt to redirect and politicize this program. One former US official told Guardian that it seems more like a policy declaration than a genuine effort toward free speech.
Privacy issues
Website directs users into centralized system
Unlike the Internet Freedom program, which funded open-source and privacy-preserving tools, freedom.gov seems to direct users into a centralized system controlled by a US government agency. Andrew Ford Lyons, an independent consultant on digital security and media resilience, criticized this move as it concentrates traffic through a federal agency instead of multiple open-source projects. He said, "What you're now talking about is concentrating traffic through a US federal agency organized and kept closed."
Content focus
European laws against hate speech, illegal content
The "censorships" that freedom.gov claims to fight are not internet shutdowns or broad content restrictions, but European laws against hate speech and illegal content. These include the Digital Services Act and UK's Online Safety Act. Nina Jankowicz, a former US official and disinformation expert, alleged that freedom.gov could be used to access hate speech and pornography in Europe. She also found it strange that CISA is managing the site when its previous responsibilities included combating foreign disinformation in the US.