Open Technology Fund
@OpenTechFund
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We advance internet freedom by supporting research, development, & implementation projects that fight censorship, increase privacy, & improve security online.
Washington, DC
Joined January 2012
The fight for internet freedom is no longer a tactical cat-and-mouse game—it’s a normative battle to define the future of free expression. Learn why in @OpenTechFund’s Annual Report detailing 60+ projects we supported to preserve a free & open internet.
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RT @JChengWSJ: “Scholarly works…held that the main goal of China’s internet censorship was to forestall protests…Leaders have a much larger….
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RT @GreatFireChina: The Locknet: How China Controls Its Internet and Why It Matters -> very important and updated review of censorship mech….
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New @OpenTechFund-supported research reshapes our understanding of Chinese censorship. It's not simply a “firewall," it’s a “locknet”—a dynamic, mutil-layered system of total information control.
NEW: A ChinaFile investigation into China's powerful, but leaky, internet censorship system at 1/21
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This research reshapes our understanding of China’s censorship model. We must engage with its reality & understand the CCP’s ambitions within it—as it exists on the mainland and as it projects out into the rest of the world. (4/4).
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One of the key findings is that China’s censorship model is ambitious in scope, shaping the digital architecture of the global internet in ways that affect users outside of China too. (3/4).
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Instead of a technical splinternet, China’s censorship model maintains connection to the global internet – upending an assumed tradeoff between the economic benefits of connection and authoritarian desire for information control. (2/4).
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Supported by @OpenTechFund: @ChinaFile’s Jessica Batke & @LauraEdelson2 explain that Chinese censorship isn’t simply a “firewall, but a “locknet” – a multi-level system that controls Chinese internet users in overlapping and reinforcing ways. (1/4).
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.@OpenTechFund’s UXD Lab has provided more than 190 usability-support engagements for internet freedom tools. Learn more about the Lab and other key results from our internet freedom work: .
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Learn how @OpenTechFund works hard to provide millions of people around the world with access to innovative technologies that enable people to securely and reliably exercise free expression online. (4/4).
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Their recommendations align with @OpenTechFund’s mission: funding the development of cutting-edge, open source anti-censorship and end-to-end encrypted tools + prioritizing support for privacy-preserving tech that incorporates best-in-class security standards. (3/4).
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The report highlights how @OpenTechFund-supported tools are critical to bypassing repressive censorship in China, Cuba, and Iran, and safeguarding millions of users’ personal data. (2/4).
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📣NEW REPORT from @freedomhouse & European University Institute explains why anti-censorship and secure messaging tech are foundational to a free and open internet—underscoring the importance of @OpenTechFund's countering digital authoritarianism. (1/4).
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.@techradar: "Iran encourages citizens to use a messaging app previously flagged as a state surveillance tool" by @OpenTechFund. Our Security Lab found it compromises user data and puts their privacy at risk.
.@OpenTechFund’s Security Lab finds three widely used Iranian messaging apps do not employ E2EE, can monitor websites that users access, and contain other privacy and security vulnerabilities. Learn more and access the full audit report:.
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Despite constraints, @OpenTechFund continues to work with our VPNs and shutdown mitigation tools so that millions of Iranians each day can access independent information and stay connected. (4/4).
The internet is a critical information lifeline for tens of millions of Iranians. Since Wednesday, the Iranian government has significantly increased online censorship and network interference to prevent Iranians from accessing information about the conflict. (1/6).
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“As the war unfolds and in its aftermath, Iranians may have a chance to forge a new political destiny. They need truth to counter the regime’s lies, and U.S. communications technology can help them get it.” (3/4).
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“In the days since Israel began bombing nuclear sites, Iranians have needed access to news and information that can counter Iran’s state propaganda … But Iran wants to limit its citizens’ access to information from the outside world.” (2/4).
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.@WSJOpinion: “Ms. Lake has … done little to help Iranians get the virtual private networks, or VPNs, they need to dodge regime censorship on the internet and social media.” Here’s why this matters 🧵(1/4)
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Simultaneously, demand for @OpenTechFund-supported shutdown resistant technologies is spiking as they are some of the only options for Iranians to stay connected and access information. (5/6).
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Thankfully, @OpenTechFund-supported VPNs have proven to be resilient. They are still serving millions of users per day despite the regime’s efforts at blocking. (4/6).
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