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"Americans should be concerned"   digital rights experts respond to the US
withdrawal from internet freedom organization

Date:
Fri, 09 Jan 2026 16:50:54 +0000

Description:
Digital rights experts criticize the Trump administration's decision to
withdraw from key international internet freedom organizations.

FULL STORY

Digital rights experts have criticized the Trump administration's decision to
withdraw from the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) and its broader retreat from
multilateral cooperation. 

In a press statement, The Center for Democracy and Technology's (CDT)
President and CEO, Alexandra Givens, said: These withdrawals are an 
abdication of important US commitments and responsibilities to uphold human
rights and democratic principles, broadly and in the digital world." 

It's a view shared by Konstantinos Komaitis, senior resident fellow at the
Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab and member of the FOC's
advisory network. 

"The message is unmistakable: Internet freedom is no longer a pillar of US
foreign policy," Komaitis wrote in Tech Policy Press .

Targeting 'progressive' tech bodies

On Wednesday, the United States withdrew from 66 international organizations
the Trump administration deems "contrary to the interests" of the country.
Affected groups include UN climate treaties, organizations working on
international conflict resolution and gender equality initiatives. 

In its statement, the CDT highlighted the wide scope of the withdrawal, 
noting the inclusion of the FOC alongside the Venice Commission, the Global
Counterterrorism Forum, and the International Institute for Democracy and
Electoral Assistance. 

In a press statement , Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed these
organizations have become "dominated by progressive ideology and detached 
from national interests."

Real-world repercussions 

The Freedom Online Coalition is a group of more than 40 governments that work
together to promote a world "where the use of the Internet and digital
technologies reinforces human rights, democracy, and the rule of law." 

Its strength lies in its collective voice, according to Komaitis. When 
"member states spoke collectively about internet shutdowns, surveillance
practices, or digital repression, those interventions were amplified by the
presence of actors able to project influence across multiple policy domains,"
he wrote. 

In 2012, the FOC launched the Digital Defenders Partnership (DDP)  a fund
managed by Hivos to support digital activists under threat. The fund has been
instrumental in financing digital rights initiatives, including providing 
VPNs " to protect human rights defenders from censorship and surveillance ." 

The US withdrawal is "unlikely to have an immediate or direct impact" on the
group, Komaitis told TechRadar. However, he noted that the decision could
affect the wider international landscape in which DDP and similar
organizations operate. 

Asked whether there was recourse for the FOC to push back against the
decision, Komaitis said: "Any response would likely focus on maintaining
cooperation among remaining partners and ensuring continuity of support
through existing multilateral channels."

A gift to authoritarians? 

While US involvement in these organizations was important, experts say they
will continue to operate. "It would be wrong to suggest that the FOC will
falter, let alone collapse, in the absence of the US," Komaitis argues. 

However, the long-term implications of this move could be significant. By
stepping away from the global stage, the US risks inviting others to take its
place. 

By withdrawing, the US "creates space for China to reappropriate the language
of governance and rights," Komaitis warns. With this shift, basic concepts of
internet freedom could be transformed "in ways that subordinate individual
freedoms to regime stability". 

The feeling, then, is that this retreat puts the digital safety of everyday
users at risk. 

Alexandra Givens at the CDT argues in her statement that the administration 
is "abandoning longstanding efforts to advance democracy, defend human rights
online, and stop the abuses of spyware, particularly as free expression comes
under attack from governments around the worldincluding our own." 

"US participation in international collaboration on human rights standards
helps keep Americans safe," Givens concludes. "This move will inevitably
weaken the rights and security of Americans and people around the world for
years to come."

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/americans-should-be-concern
ed-digital-rights-experts-respond-to-the-us-withdrawal-from-internet-freedom-o
rganization

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