Main points
- The US government is developing the freedom.gov portal to bypass local restrictions on content blocked due to hate speech or extremism laws.
- The project raises controversy over international norms and could exacerbate differences in approaches to freedom of speech between the US and its allies.
Washington launches freedom.gov to access seized content / Unsplash / ALEXANDRE LALLEMAND
The U.S. government is preparing an Internet portal that will allow people in Europe and other countries to view content blocked under local hate speech or extremism regulations. The project, called freedom.gov, is raising controversy over international norms and relations with allies.
The US State Department is developing an online portal under the domain freedom.gov that aims to make content banned in certain countries in Europe and elsewhere available, according to sources close to the project. This could include material that local laws define as hate speech or terrorist propaganda. Reuters reports.
What is freedom.gov and how will it work?
The initiative is led by Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers . The portal was planned to be unveiled at the Munich Security Conference, but the launch was postponed for unknown reasons.
One of the technical solutions being discussed is to add a VPN-like feature to the site, which would allow traffic to appear as if users are connecting from the U.S. According to sources, user activity on the site will not be tracked.
American officials see the project as a way to counter censorship or curbs on free speech. But critics abroad see it as an attempt to undermine the sovereignty of foreign legal regimes, as such portals could encourage people to ignore their own laws.
The European Union and individual countries have strict rules on online content, such as the Digital Services Act, which requires removal or blocking of certain materials as a last resort. The US plans could potentially exacerbate differences in approaches to free speech and internet regulation between allies, The News reports.
Details about the project are limited at this time, and the portal currently contains no user-generated content. Meanwhile, some legal advisors at the State Department have expressed concerns about the legal aspects of the initiative.