{"id":1793,"date":"2020-07-27T06:19:13","date_gmt":"2020-07-27T14:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/netpolicy\/?p=1793"},"modified":"2020-07-27T06:19:13","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T14:19:13","slug":"the-open-technology-funds-vital-role-for-democracy-worldwide-should-not-be-undermined","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/netpolicy\/2020\/07\/27\/the-open-technology-funds-vital-role-for-democracy-worldwide-should-not-be-undermined\/","title":{"rendered":"The Open Technology Fund’s vital role for democracy worldwide should not be undermined"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Open Technology Fund plays a vital role for democracy worldwide. That\u2019s why Mozilla on Friday joined a friend of the court brief<\/a> in support of the Open Technology Fund\u2019s independence from government control as OTF\u2019s case moves forward to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. <\/p>\n

The Open Technology Fund is a U.S. government funded, independent nonprofit corporation with a mission to support development of open-source technologies that \u201cincrease free expression, circumvent censorship, and obstruct repressive surveillance as a way to promote human rights and open societies.\u201d One such OTF-supported project is Tor Browser, which is built on the Firefox codebase and enables encrypted access to the web for anonymous browsing. Another is Let\u2019s Encrypt, a free certificate authority enabling more secure web connections that began as a project of Mozilla, EFF, and the University of Michigan. These are invaluable tools not only to citizens of authoritarian regimes, but more broadly to internet users everywhere who rely on them to protect the privacy of their personal associations, communications, and interests. <\/p>\n

OTF\u2019s vital role in promoting internet freedom worldwide was severely threatened last month when Michael Pack, the newly installed CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), fired the head of OTF and appointed a new acting director, a move that we do not believe he has the legal authority to take. Originally a project of Radio Free Asia, which is supervised by USAGM along with Voice of America and other government-funded media outlets, OTF in 2019 spun off into its own independent nonprofit corporation while continuing to receive federal funding. In response to Mr. Pack\u2019s recent actions, OTF filed suit, challenging his authority to dictate the leadership of the organization under the new structure.<\/p>\n

OTF\u2019s independence from any government is critical to its mission. Digital tools to make the internet more secure and safer for speech will be less effective if they are perceived to be influenced by government interests. At a time when surveillance and censorship are increasing worldwide, this consequence would be particularly troubling. Moreover, the first amendment implications of USAGM\u2019s actions are significant; as the brief notes: \u201cthe independence of private entities and civil society from the government is a hallmark of our democracy.\u201d It is Mozilla\u2019s hope that the Court will recognize these concerns and deliver an opinion that preserves OTF\u2019s ability to serve as an indispensable resource for digital privacy and security, and for democracy. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Open Technology Fund plays a vital role for democracy worldwide. That\u2019s why Mozilla on Friday joined a friend of the court brief in support of the Open Technology Fund\u2019s … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1654,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"coauthors":[327261],"yoast_head":"\nThe Open Technology Fund's vital role for democracy worldwide should not be undermined - Open Policy & Advocacy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/netpolicy\/2020\/07\/27\/the-open-technology-funds-vital-role-for-democracy-worldwide-should-not-be-undermined\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Abigail Phillips\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/netpolicy\/2020\/07\/27\/the-open-technology-funds-vital-role-for-democracy-worldwide-should-not-be-undermined\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/netpolicy\/2020\/07\/27\/the-open-technology-funds-vital-role-for-democracy-worldwide-should-not-be-undermined\/\",\"name\":\"The Open Technology Fund's vital role for democracy worldwide should not be undermined - 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