US funding for global internet freedom ‘effectively gutted’
Summary
The Guardian reports that US funding for global internet freedom, managed through the Internet Freedom program and the Open Technology Fund, has been severely curtailed, with several grants not issued in 2025 and staff reductions. The piece outlines how these funds supported censorship-circumvention tech (like Signal, Tor, and satellite datacasting) to help protesters and journalists bypass autocratic regimes, and notes the US withdrawal from the Freedom Online Coalition. Experts warn that this erosion could weaken global digital rights and enable governments to tighten information controls, while some groups seek new funding in Europe.