Donald Trump wants to fight what he calls censorship in EU. The US State Department is working to launch an online platform that will allow users in Europe to view content blocked in their countries, Reuters reports. The freedom.gov portal is intended to enable bypassing government blockades regarding, among others, hate speech or promoting terrorism. This is another step in the fight against censorship announced by the American authorities.
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According to three sources cited by Reuters, the aim of the project is to provide access to blocked information not only in Europe, but also in other regions of the world. The slogan now appears on the portal's website: “Freedom is coming. Information is power. Reclaim your right to freedom of speech. Get ready.”.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is probably responsible for managing the platform, reports The Guardian. Nina Jankowicz, a former official and disinformation expert, reminds that CISA has so far focused on electoral infrastructure and foreign disinformation in the US.
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Donald Trump's new project for Europe
According to information from Reuters, the portal was originally supposed to be launched during the Munich Security Conference, but the premiere was postponed to a later date.
The project is overseen by Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers. According to the Financial Times, during her visit to Europe in December, Rogers talked to right-wing think tanks and political circles about the State Department's financing of organizations cooperating with Donald Trump's MAGA movement. The aim of these activities is to promote “American values”, including freedom of speech on the Internet.
“The Guardian” points out that the project appeared after the US administration limited another State Department program – Internet Freedom, under which over $500 million was allocated to fight censorship in countries such as Myanmar, Iran and Venezuela. Freedom.gov may be an attempt to redirect and politicize this program, the daily's sources say.
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Will Donald Trump intensify the dispute with the EU? “It's a step further”
A Department of State spokesman told Reuters that the US government is not running a censorship circumvention program aimed specifically at Europe. However, he emphasized that “digital freedom is a priority for the Department of State, which includes the dissemination of technologies that protect privacy and circumvent censorship.”
Reuters notes that the launch of the portal may exacerbate tensions between the Trump administration and traditional US allies in Europe. — Disagreements between the U.S. government and the European Union over free speech are nothing new in politics. However, such a website is a step further, a public declaration that the US government is concerned about the state of freedom of speech even among our European allies – says a former American official quoted by “The Guardian”.
