State Department Creates Website to Access Banned European Content

The U.S. State Department is building a website called freedom.gov that would allow people in Europe to view content their governments have blocked. The project, led by Undersecretary Sarah Rogers, aims to counter what Washington sees as censorship but could strain relationships with European allies.

The U.S. State Department is working on a new website that would allow people in Europe and other regions to access content that their governments have blocked, according to three sources with knowledge of the initiative.

The website will operate under the domain “freedom.gov,” sources revealed. Officials have discussed incorporating virtual private network capabilities that would make users’ internet activity appear to come from the United States, with one source noting that the site won’t track user behavior.

Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers is leading this initiative, which was originally scheduled to debut at last week’s Munich Security Conference but faced delays, the sources indicated.

Reuters was unable to confirm the specific reasons for the postponement, though two sources mentioned that some State Department personnel, including legal staff, have expressed reservations about the proposal without specifying their exact concerns.

This initiative could create additional tension between the Trump administration and European allies, who are already dealing with disagreements over trade issues, Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, and President Trump’s interest in asserting influence over Greenland.

The website would also place Washington in an unusual position of seemingly encouraging people to circumvent their local regulations.

When contacted by Reuters, a State Department representative stated that the U.S. government doesn’t operate a censorship-bypassing program targeting Europe specifically, but noted: “Digital freedom is a priority for the State Department, however, and that includes the proliferation of privacy and censorship-circumvention technologies like VPNs.”

The representative disputed claims about any delayed announcement and said it was incorrect that State Department attorneys had voiced concerns.

The Trump administration has prioritized free speech issues, particularly what it perceives as suppression of conservative viewpoints online, making it a cornerstone of foreign policy efforts in Europe and Brazil.

European approaches to free expression differ significantly from American standards, where the Constitution safeguards nearly all forms of speech. European Union restrictions developed from efforts to prevent any return of extremist messaging that powered Nazism, including its targeting of Jewish people, immigrants, and minority groups.

American officials have criticized EU policies they claim suppress right-wing political figures in Romania, Germany, and France, arguing that regulations like the EU’s Digital Services Act and Britain’s Online Safety Act restrict free expression.

The EU delegation in Washington, serving as the 27-nation bloc’s diplomatic mission, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the American proposal.

Through regulations that primarily affect social media platforms and major services like Meta’s Facebook and X, the EU restricts access to — and sometimes mandates quick removal of — material labeled as illegal hate speech, terrorist content, or dangerous misinformation under various rules, laws, and decisions implemented since 2008.

Rogers has become a vocal supporter of the Trump administration’s stance on EU content regulations. Since assuming her role in October, she has traveled to more than six European nations and met with representatives from right-wing organizations that the administration claims face oppression. The department declined to make Rogers available for interviews.

The Trump administration’s National Security Strategy, released in December, cautioned that Europe faced “civilisational erasure” due to its immigration policies. The document stated the U.S. would focus on “cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations.”

EU regulators frequently mandate that American-based platforms remove content and can implement bans as a final option. X, owned by Trump associate Elon Musk, received a 120 million-euro penalty in December for failing to comply.

Germany, as an example, issued 482 removal orders in 2024 for material it determined supported or encouraged terrorism and compelled providers to eliminate 16,771 pieces of content.

Similarly, Meta’s oversight board in 2024 mandated removal of a Polish political party’s posts containing racial slurs and portraying immigrants as sexual predators, content that EU law classifies as illegal hate speech.

Kenneth Propp, a former State Department official who handled European digital regulations and now works at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center, described the U.S. plan as “a direct shot” at European rules and laws. He said freedom.gov “would be perceived in Europe as a U.S. effort to frustrate national law provisions.”

Edward Coristine, a former member of Musk’s cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, is also participating in the U.S. portal project, according to two sources. Coristine collaborates with the National Design Studio, established by Trump to improve government website aesthetics. Reuters couldn’t reach Coristine for comment.

The specific benefits the U.S. government portal would provide beyond those offered by commercial VPN services remain unclear.

Federal registry get.gov shows the freedom.gov web address was registered on January 12. As of Wednesday, the site contained no content but displayed the National Design Studio’s logo, the phrase “fly, eagle, fly” and a login form.

Prior to Trump’s second presidency, the U.S. government supported commercial VPNs and similar tools as part of global democracy promotion efforts, helping users access unrestricted information in China, Iran, Russia, Belarus, Cuba, Myanmar, and other nations.