22 U.S.C. § 6217: Global internet freedom

whose governments restrict freedom of expression on the internet; and that are important to the national interest of the United States. to counter the development of repressive internet-related laws and regulations, including countering threats to internet freedom at international organizations; to combat violence against bloggers and other civil society activists who utilize the internet; and to enhance digital security training and capacity building for democracy activists; to research key threats to internet freedom; to continue the development of technologies that provide or enhance access to the internet, including circumvention tools that bypass internet blocking, filtering, and other censorship techniques used by authoritarian governments; and to maintain the technological advantage of the Federal Government over the censorship techniques described in subparagraph (B); and shall be incorporated into country assistance and democracy promotion strategies, as appropriate. $75,000,000 to the Department and USAID, to continue efforts to promote internet freedom globally, and shall be matched, to the maximum extent practicable, by sources other than the Federal Government, including the private sector; and for open-source tools and techniques to securely develop and distribute digital content produced by the USAGM and its grantees; to facilitate audience access to such digital content on websites that are censored; to coordinate the distribution of such digital content to targeted regional audiences; and to promote and distribute such tools and techniques, including digital security techniques. have evaluated the risks and benefits of such new tools or techniques; and have established safeguards to minimize the use of such new tools or techniques for illicit purposes. sharing information, technologies, and best practices; and assessing the effectiveness of such technologies. coordinate international broadcasting programs and incorporate such programs into country broadcasting strategies, as appropriate; solicit project proposals through an open, transparent, and competitive application process, including by seeking input from technical and subject matter experts; and support internet circumvention tools and techniques for audiences in countries that are strategic priorities for the OTF, in accordance with USAGM’s annual language service prioritization review. the efforts of the Office of Internet Freedom; and the efforts of the Open Technology Fund; the capacity of internet censorship circumvention tools supported by the Office of Internet Freedom and grantees of the Open Technology Fund that are available for use by individuals in foreign countries seeking to counteract censors; and any barriers to the provision of the efforts described in clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (A), including access to surge funding; and responding rapidly to internet shutdowns in closed societies; and ensuring uninterrupted circumvention services for USAGM entities to promote internet freedom within repressive regimes. Department circumvention efforts; and USAID efforts to support internet infrastructure; the capacity of internet censorship circumvention tools supported by the Federal Government that are available for use by individuals in foreign countries seeking to counteract censors; and any barriers to provision of the efforts enumerated in clauses (i) and (ii) of subsection (e)(1)(A), including access to surge funding; and to respond rapidly to internet shutdowns in closed societies; and to provide internet connectivity to foreign locations where the provision of additional internet access service would promote freedom from repressive regimes. Before providing any support for open source technologies under this section, such technologies must undergo comprehensive security audits to ensure that such technologies are secure and have not been compromised in a manner that is detrimental to the interest of the United States or to the interests of individuals and organizations benefitting from programs supported by such funding. are carried out in crisis situations by vetted entities that are already engaged in internet freedom programs; involve circumvention tools; or increase the overseas bandwidth for companies that received Federal funding during the previous fiscal year. Amounts authorized to be appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) may not be expended until the Secretary has certified to the appropriate congressional committees, the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives that the use of such funds is in the national interest of the United States. In this section, the term “internet censorship circumvention tool” means a software application or other tool that an individual can use to evade foreign government restrictions on internet access.