The portal will allow you to bypass government control
As Reuters reported, citing three sources with knowledge of this project, The freedom.gov portal is intended to allow users in Europe and other parts of the world to bypass government controls.
His website reads: “Freedom is coming. Information is power. Reclaim your right to free speech. Get ready.”
British newspaper The Guardian wrote that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), appears to be responsible for managing the portal. As former US official and disinformation expert Nina Jankowicz said, CISA’s remit previously covered election infrastructure and foreign disinformation in the US.
Postponed start date
According to Reuters sources, Mrortal was scheduled to be launched at the recent Munich Conference, but for some unknown reason this was postponed until later.
According to the agency, Sarah Rogers, Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy at the Department of State, is responsible for the project. The Financial Times reported in early February that during her visit to several European countries in December, Rogers discussed with right-wing think tanks and right-wing populist political circles the project of her ministry financing think tanks and foundations in Europe allied with the pro-Trump MAGA movement. The aim is to promote “American values”, including freedom of speech on the Internet.
Who is behind freedom.gov?
The Guardian noted that work on the portal began after the US administration significantly limited another State Department program, Internet Freedom. Under his program, the Department of State has donated over $500 million in recent years to create technologies to circumvent censorship in countries such as Myanmar (Burma), Iran and Venezuela. According to Freedom.gov’s sources, it may be an attempt to redirect and politicize that program.
Is digital freedom a priority for the State Department?
Asked by Reuters to comment on reports about the website, a Department of State spokesman said: The US government does not have a program to circumvent censorship specifically in Europe. But he added that “digital freedom is a priority for the State Department, and that includes the spread of technologies that protect privacy and circumvent censorship.”
The portal may increase tensions in relations between the Trump administration and traditional U.S. allies in Europe, Reuters emphasized.
– Disagreements between the U.S. government and the European Union over freedom of speech are nothing new in politics. However, a portal of this type goes a step further, a public declaration that the US government is concerned (about the state of compliance – PAP) with freedom of speech even among our European allies – said a former American official quoted by the Guardian.
