US plans online portal to challenge European content restrictions

The US State Department is preparing an online platform designed to give users in Europe and other regions access to online material restricted under local laws, according to sources familiar with the initiative, quoted by foreign media.

The project, expected to operate under the domain freedom.gov, is framed by Washington as part of a broader effort to promote digital freedom and counter what it considers government censorship.

The planned portal may include privacy tools similar to a virtual private network (VPN), allowing users’ internet traffic to appear as if it originates from the United States. Sources say user activity on the platform would not be tracked. The initiative is being overseen by Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers and had initially been expected to launch during the Munich Security Conference, though the unveiling was postponed for unclear reasons.

While the State Department denied that a Europe-specific censorship-circumvention program exists or that internal legal objections delayed the launch, officials confirmed that expanding privacy and anti-censorship technologies remains a policy priority. The effort reflects a broader foreign-policy focus by President Donald Trump’s administration on defending what it views as free expression online, particularly criticism of European content regulations.

The proposal risks increasing tensions between Washington and European allies, where speech laws differ significantly from US standards. European Union regulations — including measures requiring rapid removal of hate speech, extremist propaganda and harmful disinformation — were developed partly to prevent the reemergence of extremist movements. US officials, however, argue that rules such as the EU Digital Services Act and Britain’s Online Safety Act restrict political expression.

Critics warn the portal could place the United States in the unusual position of encouraging foreign citizens to bypass domestic laws. Former State Department official Kenneth Propp described the initiative as likely to be seen in Europe as an attempt to undermine national legal frameworks.

The project reportedly involves Edward Coristine, linked to the administration’s National Design Studio, and the freedom.gov domain was registered in January, though the site currently contains no operational content. Questions also remain about what advantages the government platform would offer compared with existing commercial VPN services.

The initiative builds on earlier US programs that funded tools enabling internet users in countries such as China, Iran, Russia and Myanmar to access unrestricted information — but extending similar efforts toward European democracies would mark a significant shift in Washington’s digital diplomacy strategy.

By Tamilla Hasanova