One of the things that got cut as Congress sought to reach a deal on the budget is a pot of money in the State Department to help promote Internet freedom. The State Department has been criticized in a report recently that it’s just been sitting on funds specifically set aside for things like Internet censorship circumvention technology. The State Department says they weren’t sitting on the money, they were just trying to come up with a plan so they don’t look like they’re interfering too much with other governments. This issue is particularly relevant now given the role the Internet has played in all the upheaval in the Middle East.
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