The US government's commitment to global internet freedom has been significantly undermined, leaving a power vacuum that could have far-reaching consequences. For nearly two decades, the US quietly funded a global effort to prevent the internet from splintering into authoritarian fiefdoms. However, recent budget cuts have effectively gutted this initiative, jeopardizing internet freedoms worldwide.
The program, managed by the US State Department and the US Agency for Global Media, provided funding to small groups in countries like Iran, China, and the Philippines, who developed grassroots technologies to evade government-imposed internet controls. Over the past decade, it has dispensed over $500 million, including $94 million in 2024.
But the Trump administration's focus on government efficiency led to the resignation or dismissal of career employees in 2025, resulting in the permanent cuts of many programs. The Open Technology Fund, a nonprofit working with the government, won a lawsuit to restore some funding in December, but the Trump administration is appealing the ruling.
The impact of these cuts is already being felt. Technologies that helped Iranians coordinate during recent anti-government protests and allowed the world to see videos and images of massacres are now at risk. This could have a significant impact in other nations, too, affecting efforts to bypass the junta's digital iron curtain in Myanmar and the ability of users in China to avoid surveillance.
One former US official described the program as 'effectively gutted,' with no grants issued this year. A digital rights expert based in Europe, who has worked on projects for Internet Freedom, expressed concern, stating that the program has been a crucial linchpin.
The US aimed to make it extremely difficult for authoritarian governments to cut an entire population off from the global internet, by funding groups capable of building and harnessing technologies that evade restrictions and censorship. These technologies include encrypted messaging services and browsers that allow users to remain anonymous online.
However, censorship tech is becoming cheaper and easier to access, with Chinese companies exporting sophisticated middleboxes to countries across Africa and Asia. This makes it easier for regimes like Iran's to fine-tune their control over the domestic internet, allowing commerce to continue while communication is throttled.
While some groups working on these technologies have laid off staff or continue without pay, there is hope that funding can be restored. However, there is also a concern that the Trump administration might more overtly politicize its aims. The cuts risk making it easier for authoritarian governments to build digital iron curtains, reinforcing specific narratives about people outside of their countries.
