US Launches Freedom Tech Program With Bitcoin Policy Institute
State Department launches Freedom Tech Excellence Program with Bitcoin Policy Institute as a founding partner for digital freedom. The U.S. Department of State has launched a new initiative to bring private sector expertise into its digital freedom work. The Freedom Tech Excellence Program pairs government officials with specialists from technology firms and civil society groups. Bitcoin Policy Institute confirmed its role as a founding partner in the effort. The program covers online expression, privacy tools, digital surveillance, and AI governance. Officials frame it as a way to strengthen American diplomacy on censorship and authoritarian control abroad. What the Freedom Tech Excellence Program Covers FTEP allows private sector organizations to send employees into the State Department for limited-term assignments. Participants keep their existing jobs while working alongside senior officials on live diplomatic issues. The program targets areas where the department says it lacks sufficient in-house expertise. Listed priorities include First Amendment protections in digital spaces and countering unlawful surveillance. Privacy-enhancing technologies such as encryption and VPNs also fall under the programs scope. Responsible governance of emerging technologies, including AI, rounds out the stated goals. Child safety online is included as well. The department describes the arrangement as a two-way exchange. Private sector participants gain direct insight into foreign policy and