Trump ends program millions in China use for internet, worrying Congress

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Washington Post or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The Trump administration has shut down the Open Technology Fund (OTF), a U.S.-funded program that helped millions bypass internet censorship in authoritarian countries
• The OTF provided encrypted tools like VPNs, Signal, and Tor to over 6 million people in China and 18 million in Iran
• Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns that ending the program will weaken U.S. influence and endanger activists, journalists, and dissidents

🔭 The context: The OTF was launched in 2012 and became the world's largest funder of internet freedom technologies, helping people evade censorship in China, Russia, Iran, Myanmar, and Cuba
• Previous attempts to defund the program failed due to bipartisan support in Congress
• Trump’s latest executive order removes independent agency funding, effectively cutting the OTF’s $43.5 million annual budget

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Millions of people rely on OTF-funded tools to access uncensored information and communicate securely
• The shutdown could lead to increased state surveillance, censorship, and human rights violations in authoritarian regimes
• Internet freedom is a crucial tool for press freedom, democracy, and climate activists in repressive states

⏭️ What's next: Congress members are exploring ways to restore funding, but success remains uncertain
• If no alternative funding is secured, OTF-backed services may go offline by the end of the month, cutting off internet access for millions
• Experts warn that once Chinese users lose access to these tools, it will be nearly impossible to reconnect them

💬 One quote: “There are real humans we are abandoning in China and beyond… Without our technologies, we are leaving them vulnerable to surveillance, persecution or worse.” – Laura Cunningham, President of the Open Technology Fund

📈 One stat: The OTF provided internet access tools to over 24 million people globally, including 6 million in China and 18 million in Iran

See here detailed sustainability performance of companies like Huawei, Deepseek, Google and Meta

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