Perhaps, but that assumes they're actually making anything. It's quite possible they're only announcing it, or will only take people's money, or that this is a re-badge of something one of their donors already made and couldn't sell on an open market.
Sure thing, the data grab stage is complete, models are trained, the bulk of the global data is in the pocket and whatever new arrives can be spoon-fed to them without the need to fund all this huge "free" data funneling infrastructure, and however much money was thrown into that must be recouped.
"Free internet" was but a business strategy, both as in beer and in freedom.
Really important to first, pick that example of content moderation and then point out that he's an Israeli. Maybe think about why you used that example when there are countless others regarding free speech/internet freedom.
I would point to the opposite bias, the guardian mentions Chinese surveillance tech exported to Africa, but makes no mention of Israeli spyware exports. The Israeli export of civil repression technology, expertise and training is actually very well documented, having a lot of practice with such oppression domestically.
It’s extremely relevant. The Trump admin just facilitated the sale of TikTok to an ardent Zionist for an incredibly cheap price, and Netanyahu himself gave a talk saying it was the most important event in the “eighth front” of their war. Same just happened with CBS.
Larry Ellison (the new owner of TikTok) personally vetted Marco Rubio for fealty to Israel.
The United States is days away from going to war with Iran on behalf of Israel, which makes this even more important.
Israeli mega donors Miriam Adelson, Larry Ellison, Ronald Lauder, etc, have given Trump literally hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign donations to facilitate this special treatment of Israel and to help transfer control of these media orgs to Israelis. They have all stated openly that this is the case.
>These programs were largely about ensuring that American propaganda can reach people in Iran or similar places.
This. The og point of USAID wasn't AID as per the name would misleadingly let you believe, but spreading pro-US anti-USSR propaganda, and only like 3% of that program was spent on actual AID, like food and medicine for the third world, but most of it went to funding media, news and journalists across LatAm, Asia, Africa dn EE, that would push domestic support in those regions for US policies and be critical of US adversaries.
US doesn't fund "freedom" of anything out of selflessness, it funds policies that are guaranteed to benefit it over its rivals, and use the word "freedom" to legitimize it. Once those benefits no longer materialize, the funding also goes away.
The budget for USAID in 2024 was $25.6 billion [0]. $ 9.5 billion were allocated to health programs and $ 1.1 billion to agriculture, education and infrastructure [1]. You can do the math.
>only like 3% of that program was spent on actual AID, like food and medicine for the third world, but most of it went to funding media, news and journalists across LatAm, Asia, Africa dn EE, that would push domestic support in those regions for US policies and be critical of US adversaries.
3%? There was a lot of waste with the program but surely, please give this at least 30 seconds of thought.
> only like 3% of that program was spent on actual AID, like food and medicine for the third world, but most of it went to funding media, news and journalists across LatAm, Asia, Africa dn EE
Source please. This doesn't pass the smell test, because the largest expenses in international aid programs are usually related to healthcare and agriculture. Propaganda is very cheap compared to producing and distributing malaria drugs or grain to the most remote corners of the world or building water sanitation plants in places that have no roads and no electricity.
A program that helped people evade real censorship is "feeding them US propaganda" and social media awash with state-sponsored trolls tearing our societies apart is "an alternative geopolitical narrative" - bit of a spin, isn't it?
If it is so important, why are we relying on the US to fund it? Maybe it is not that important? Maybe this program is not a pillar for 'internet freedom', maybe, as we can clearly see, most of the world (including the EU) has no real interest in 'internet freedom'..
Don't get me wrong, I personally very much think freedom (internet or otherwise) is very important, and valuable. But the tone where Orange Man Bad pulls funding for ostensibly super duper important projects is such a bore. Maybe in stead of pointing out how bad this move is, we should be doing something about it? Oh wait we are busy clamping down on "hate speech" and blocking "dangerous" social media such as X.
As The Guardian has previously pointed out https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/03/us-cuban-twitt...: USAID and these orgs were "undermining Cuba's communist government". Now it's time to celebrate. People will now be free to live as they wish under communism or whatever else they choose. It is not for us to choose whether people want to be invaded by Russia or ruled by Castro. If they don't want this, let them choose otherwise.
The President will be gone in a few years and USAID will still be gone. So that's the ideal state of affairs. The Republicans will have cleared out the bad agency and then whacked themselves. It's like radiation. You don't want the radiation always there but it's the only way to kill the cancer so you take it.
For a list of projects funded by the Open Technology Fund, see https://www.opentech.fund/projects-we-support/supported-proj... Includes well-known entities like the Tor Browser and F-Droid, but also plenty of stuff I never heard of before.
hold up. 40 million dollars over 5 years for an open source VPN?
Supposedly that only covers "user carrying costs" too.[0]
They claim to have 3 million weekly users[1], I have no idea if that's a realistic cost for running a VPN of that scale?
Notably applicants for these grants don't have to be non-profits[0], which seems a little odd?
[0]https://www.opentech.fund/funds/surge-and-sustain-fund/
[1]https://psiphon.ca/en/about.html
what is going on
While also claiming they'll put up a VPN to give people unfettered access to social media websites now that lots of nations are putting more restrictions on them: https://www.reuters.com/world/us-plans-online-portal-bypass-...
So they're cutting funding for TOR while making a shitty version?
A version only facilitating access to sites friendly to the Mad King and friends. No Fediverse for you!
Perhaps, but that assumes they're actually making anything. It's quite possible they're only announcing it, or will only take people's money, or that this is a re-badge of something one of their donors already made and couldn't sell on an open market.
Maybe just a rebranded version? Trump Oll-mighty Regent browser.
Sure thing, the data grab stage is complete, models are trained, the bulk of the global data is in the pocket and whatever new arrives can be spoon-fed to them without the need to fund all this huge "free" data funneling infrastructure, and however much money was thrown into that must be recouped.
"Free internet" was but a business strategy, both as in beer and in freedom.
I'm not worried, freedom.gov will save us all! /s
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> American propaganda can reach people in Iran
> American’s exposure to alternative geopolitical narratives
In the same breath!
I downvoted you because I don't understand the point you're trying to make.
3 replies →
Really important to first, pick that example of content moderation and then point out that he's an Israeli. Maybe think about why you used that example when there are countless others regarding free speech/internet freedom.
I would point to the opposite bias, the guardian mentions Chinese surveillance tech exported to Africa, but makes no mention of Israeli spyware exports. The Israeli export of civil repression technology, expertise and training is actually very well documented, having a lot of practice with such oppression domestically.
3 replies →
It’s extremely relevant. The Trump admin just facilitated the sale of TikTok to an ardent Zionist for an incredibly cheap price, and Netanyahu himself gave a talk saying it was the most important event in the “eighth front” of their war. Same just happened with CBS.
Larry Ellison (the new owner of TikTok) personally vetted Marco Rubio for fealty to Israel.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LabourUK/comments/1nww6cp/larry_ell...
The United States is days away from going to war with Iran on behalf of Israel, which makes this even more important.
Israeli mega donors Miriam Adelson, Larry Ellison, Ronald Lauder, etc, have given Trump literally hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign donations to facilitate this special treatment of Israel and to help transfer control of these media orgs to Israelis. They have all stated openly that this is the case.
>These programs were largely about ensuring that American propaganda can reach people in Iran or similar places.
This. The og point of USAID wasn't AID as per the name would misleadingly let you believe, but spreading pro-US anti-USSR propaganda, and only like 3% of that program was spent on actual AID, like food and medicine for the third world, but most of it went to funding media, news and journalists across LatAm, Asia, Africa dn EE, that would push domestic support in those regions for US policies and be critical of US adversaries.
US doesn't fund "freedom" of anything out of selflessness, it funds policies that are guaranteed to benefit it over its rivals, and use the word "freedom" to legitimize it. Once those benefits no longer materialize, the funding also goes away.
The budget for USAID in 2024 was $25.6 billion [0]. $ 9.5 billion were allocated to health programs and $ 1.1 billion to agriculture, education and infrastructure [1]. You can do the math.
[0] https://factually.co/fact-checks/politics/usaid-budget-2024-...
[1] https://factually.co/fact-checks/health/usaid-2024-food-medi...
>only like 3% of that program was spent on actual AID, like food and medicine for the third world, but most of it went to funding media, news and journalists across LatAm, Asia, Africa dn EE, that would push domestic support in those regions for US policies and be critical of US adversaries.
3%? There was a lot of waste with the program but surely, please give this at least 30 seconds of thought.
1 reply →
Source please. This doesn't pass the smell test, because the largest expenses in international aid programs are usually related to healthcare and agriculture. Propaganda is very cheap compared to producing and distributing malaria drugs or grain to the most remote corners of the world or building water sanitation plants in places that have no roads and no electricity.
Makes the future interestingly unpredictable other than the inevitable fading of the US-isation of the rest of the world.
24 replies →
A program that helped people evade real censorship is "feeding them US propaganda" and social media awash with state-sponsored trolls tearing our societies apart is "an alternative geopolitical narrative" - bit of a spin, isn't it?
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Exactly this. The fact that you got downvoted tells a lot about how much political propaganda has infiltrated HN.
If it is so important, why are we relying on the US to fund it? Maybe it is not that important? Maybe this program is not a pillar for 'internet freedom', maybe, as we can clearly see, most of the world (including the EU) has no real interest in 'internet freedom'..
Don't get me wrong, I personally very much think freedom (internet or otherwise) is very important, and valuable. But the tone where Orange Man Bad pulls funding for ostensibly super duper important projects is such a bore. Maybe in stead of pointing out how bad this move is, we should be doing something about it? Oh wait we are busy clamping down on "hate speech" and blocking "dangerous" social media such as X.
Write me a sonnet on how proliferating child pornography is really free speech.
Think of the children!
2 replies →
As The Guardian has previously pointed out https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/03/us-cuban-twitt...: USAID and these orgs were "undermining Cuba's communist government". Now it's time to celebrate. People will now be free to live as they wish under communism or whatever else they choose. It is not for us to choose whether people want to be invaded by Russia or ruled by Castro. If they don't want this, let them choose otherwise.
End all American foreign interference.
Better to have the foreign interference done directly by the President himself along with his family and cronies for personal gain.
The President will be gone in a few years and USAID will still be gone. So that's the ideal state of affairs. The Republicans will have cleared out the bad agency and then whacked themselves. It's like radiation. You don't want the radiation always there but it's the only way to kill the cancer so you take it.
2 replies →
More like "freedom".