[IFF] Urgent Request for the IFF Community

[IFF Team]

Dear IFF Community:

Over the years, we have worked together to promote solidarity across
regional and discipline lines, to fight surveillance and censorship, and
to ensure that digital rights and freedom of expression are available
for everybody, regardless of their creed, background, or political
affiliation.

Today, we urgently need your help. We are sending a letter to the U.S.
Congress to protect internet freedom, and we need you and your
organization to sign it as soon as possible -  We can’t stress how
urgent this is.

https://saveinternetfreedom.tech

Please do this regardless of whether you’re located in the United
States. This is not just a U.S. issue: if what we are fearing ends up
happening, it’s people outside the United States who will be harmed the
most.


*** Here's the Background ***

Yesterday, Michael Pack, the new Trump-appointed CEO of the U.S. Agency
for Global Media (USAGM), fired the heads of the five media
organizations that the agency oversees. He also dismissed its bipartisan
board, and replaced them with Trump loyalists.

One of the people he fired is Libby Liu, who had been CEO of the Open
Technology Fund (OTF), one of the most important funders and trusted
leaders in the Internet Freedom space.

We also know that the administration is thinking of shifting funding to
only a handful of “closed-source” technologies, and potentially making
leadership changes that will transform OTF from being a bipartisan
program to a tool of the Trump administration.

If this happens, it will be catastrophic for internet freedom around the
world, and will put thousands of journalists and human rights defenders
at risk.

For the past eight years, OTF and the projects it supports have enabled
more than two billion people in more than 60 countries to access the
Internet more safely, to circumvent censorship and to evade surveillance
by repressive state actors. Work funded by OTF has directly benefited
journalists and human rights defenders in countries around the world
such as China, Russian, Iran, and Turkey.

The Internet Freedom Festival wouldn't exist without OTF's early
support, and we have always been proud to share their goals and be their
partner. That's why we're asking you to help them now.

You can read more, and find out how to further support OTF, here:

https://frama.link/saveinternetfreedom

Again, this is extremely urgent. The changes being pushed through by the
Trump administration and by Michael Pack are taking place in a matter of
hours and days, with no room for consultation or debate.

Please do what you can, right now, to Save Internet Freedom.

((( Still very much in solidarity and with much glitter )))

The IFF Team