US funding for global internet freedom 'effectively gutted'

[yorwba]

For a list of projects funded by the Open Technology Fund, see https://www.opentech.fund/projects-we-support/supported-proj... Includes well-known entities like the Tor Browser and F-Droid, but also plenty of stuff I never heard of before.

[KevinMS]

hold up. 40 million dollars over 5 years for an open source VPN?

[ben_w]

While also claiming they'll put up a VPN to give people unfettered access to social media websites now that lots of nations are putting more restrictions on them: https://www.reuters.com/world/us-plans-online-portal-bypass-...

[RobotToaster]

So they're cutting funding for TOR while making a shitty version?

[wartywhoa23]

Sure thing, the data grab stage is complete, models are trained, the bulk of the global data is in the pocket and whatever new arrives can be spoon-fed to them without the need to fund all this huge "free" data funneling infrastructure, and however much money was thrown into that must be recouped.

"Free internet" was but a business strategy, both as in beer and in freedom.

[Propelloni]

I'm not worried, freedom.gov will save us all! /s

[geraneum]

> American propaganda can reach people in Iran

> American’s exposure to alternative geopolitical narratives

In the same breath!

[ibotty]

Really important to first, pick that example of content moderation and then point out that he's an Israeli. Maybe think about why you used that example when there are countless others regarding free speech/internet freedom.

[joe_mamba]

>These programs were largely about ensuring that American propaganda can reach people in Iran or similar places.

This. The og point of USAID wasn't AID as per the name would misleadingly let you believe, but spreading pro-US anti-USSR propaganda, and only like 3% of that program was spent on actual AID, like food and medicine for the third world, but most of it went to funding media, news and journalists across LatAm, Asia, Africa dn EE, that would push domestic support in those regions for US policies and be critical of US adversaries.

US doesn't fund "freedom" of anything out of selflessness, it funds policies that are guaranteed to benefit it over its rivals, and use the word "freedom" to legitimize it. Once those benefits no longer materialize, the funding also goes away.

[wewxjfq]

A program that helped people evade real censorship is "feeding them US propaganda" and social media awash with state-sponsored trolls tearing our societies apart is "an alternative geopolitical narrative" - bit of a spin, isn't it?

[lollobomb]

Exactly this. The fact that you got downvoted tells a lot about how much political propaganda has infiltrated HN.

[mvdwoord]

If it is so important, why are we relying on the US to fund it? Maybe it is not that important? Maybe this program is not a pillar for 'internet freedom', maybe, as we can clearly see, most of the world (including the EU) has no real interest in 'internet freedom'..

Don't get me wrong, I personally very much think freedom (internet or otherwise) is very important, and valuable. But the tone where Orange Man Bad pulls funding for ostensibly super duper important projects is such a bore. Maybe in stead of pointing out how bad this move is, we should be doing something about it? Oh wait we are busy clamping down on "hate speech" and blocking "dangerous" social media such as X.

[cyanydeez]

Write me a sonnet on how proliferating child pornography is really free speech.

[renewiltord]

As The Guardian has previously pointed out https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/03/us-cuban-twitt...: USAID and these orgs were "undermining Cuba's communist government". Now it's time to celebrate. People will now be free to live as they wish under communism or whatever else they choose. It is not for us to choose whether people want to be invaded by Russia or ruled by Castro. If they don't want this, let them choose otherwise.

End all American foreign interference.

[Cipater]

Better to have the foreign interference done directly by the President himself along with his family and cronies for personal gain.

[bugsense]

More like "freedom".