tech
February 19, 2026
US Builds Website That Will Allow Europeans to View Blocked Content
Freedom.gov appears to be administered by a branch of the Department of Homeland Security
TL;DR
- The US has launched the Freedom.gov portal, designed to allow users worldwide to circumvent government content controls.
- The portal appears to be administered by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a branch of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
- Critics suggest the portal is a politicized redirection of the former Internet Freedom program, which funded open-source, privacy-preserving tools.
- Unlike previous initiatives, Freedom.gov does not focus on privacy and appears to funnel users into a centralized, US government-controlled system.
- The 'censorships' targeted are European restrictions on hate speech and illegal content, rather than broad state-level shutdowns.
- Some experts fear the portal could facilitate access to hate speech, pornography, and child sexual abuse material.
- The initiative comes amidst escalating tensions between the Trump administration and the EU over regulating big tech companies.
Continue reading the original article