July 27, 2023, U.S. Department of State building. (Madalina Vasiliu / The Dajiyuan)
[People News]The U.S. Department of State has completed a new platform called “Freedom.gov,” designed to help people in China, Iran, and other countries with strict internet controls access the same uncensored online environment available within the United States. The initiative is led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and is expected to officially launch in the coming weeks.
According to Fox News, Freedom.gov will offer iOS, Android mobile, and desktop versions, and will feature a “one-click” operation design, allowing users to activate the tool and connect to an uncensored internet environment with a single click. To ensure privacy and security, the program is open-source and includes built-in anonymity protections. It does not record users’ IP addresses, browsing activity, or any personally identifiable data.
A State Department official told Fox News regarding the motivation behind the development: “For full transparency, we have made Freedom.gov completely open-source and fully anonymous. Anyone can see how it works. No one—including us—can track or identify you.”
The initiative comes at a time of increasing global digital regulation. In addition to targeting the CCP regime’s “Great Firewall” and Iran’s internet restrictions, the platform is also reportedly aimed at Europe’s recent tightening of content review systems.
With the implementation of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and the United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act, platforms are required to remove hate speech or extremist content. U.S. officials have expressed concern over whether such regulations might restrict lawful speech.
Deputy Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, who oversees the State Department’s Digital Freedom office, is a key driver of the initiative.
Rogers said: “Freedom.gov is the latest effort by the State Department to protect and promote fundamental freedoms, whether online or offline.”
“This project will be global in scope, but its mission is distinctly American: as we approach the 250th anniversary of our founding, it commemorates our commitment to freedom of speech,” she told Fox News.
In terms of technical details, the platform may include virtual private network (VPN) functionality, making users’ internet traffic appear to originate from within the United States.
The domain has already been registered in the federal system. According to Reuters, the website design will be handled by the National Design Studio established by President Trump, and it is reported that Edward Coristine, a former member of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), also participated in related work.
Although some reports indicated the project experienced a brief delay due to legal concerns, a State Department spokesperson denied this and reiterated that “digital freedom” remains a government priority, aimed at promoting privacy protection and censorship-circumvention technologies.
This initiative reflects Washington’s determination to place “the protection of free speech” at the core of its foreign policy. Even before President Trump’s second term, the U.S. government had funded commercial VPN services and other tools, helping people in China, Iran, Russia, Belarus, Cuba, and Myanmar access information from the free world.
(Reprinted from The Dajiyuan) △
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