The U.S. State Department is reportedly developing an online portal to provide access to content banned by European and other governments.
The portal aims to bypass censorship by granting access to restricted content, including purported hate speech and terrorist propaganda. The site, set to launch at “freedom.gov,” is led by Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, Reuters reported on Thursday.
Officials had explored adding a virtual private network (VPN) feature to make users’ traffic appear as if it came from the U.S., while ensuring that site activity would not be monitored.
The project was scheduled for announcement at last week’s Munich Security Conference, but was postponed for undisclosed reasons. Sources told the publication that some State Department officials, including lawyers, have raised concerns about the plan.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comments.
EU, UK Move to Speed Up Internet Regulation
This move comes amid a global debate on internet regulation, particularly the EU’s strict Digital Services Act (DSA). Earlier this month, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the government will seek broader authority to regulate internet access. His office said the expanded powers would let ministers implement policy reviews in months instead of years, cutting parliamentary delays in addressing new digital risks.
Furthermore, the European Commission has recently launched investigations into tech companies over concerns related to nonconsensual content and minors’ safety. Elon Musk‘s X, a subsidiary of X Corp, is being investigated for its AI chatbot’s image-editing feature, which has been used to create nonconsensual explicit content.
In addition, Roblox Corporation (NYSE:RBLX) is also under scrutiny for its platform’s protection of minors.
EU Rebuts Trump’s Claims On Unfair Tech Rules
President Donald Trump has been critical of Europe’s tech rules, claiming they unfairly burden U.S. tech firms like Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL), and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), while letting Chinese competitors off. He warned of tariffs and the possible use of visa bans on EU officials enforcing the DSA.
However, the EU rejected Trump’s claims that its digital rules target U.S. tech, citing recent actions against Chinese-owned AliExpress, Temu, and TikTok as evidence of neutrality.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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