Bitcoin Advocacy Group Joins US State Department's Digital Freedom Initiative

The US State Department has launched the Freedom Tech Excellence Program (FTEP) to advance diplomatic efforts on digital freedom and expression. The Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) will be a founding partner in this program, joining other notable organizations such as Palantir Technologies, Anduril Industries, and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

According to the BPI, the FTEP will enable its employees to work alongside State Department experts and defend digital freedoms worldwide. The program aims to bring private sector talent to the Department for limited-term assignments on key issues like online freedom of expression, privacy-enhancing technologies, countering digital surveillance, and responsible AI governance.

The BPI was established in 2021 as a non-partisan research and advocacy organization. It has previously endorsed attempts to codify US President Donald Trump's executive order to establish a strategic crypto reserve into law. However, lawmakers in the US Congress have not yet passed legislation to follow this order.