New USAID Policy Expands Digital Censorship

A new policy issued by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) expands U.S. interests in expanding global online censorship. The policy explicitly mentions the importance of moderation online. This can only mean what is happening in Brazil, the attempt to shut down X. These people want to shut down their critics. These people are very dangerous.

USAID Administrator, Samantha Power said extremism was a direct result of “the absence of umpires” on technology platforms. “What you get is an ecosystem that is more divided,” she explained.

Power was candid about the difficulty of imposing social control tools in foreign countries. She admitted governments were approaching USAID about building infrastructure, but when it came to talking about norms and regulations to govern the technology, “they did not want them.”

Even though the Digital Policy mentions privacy concerns as part of the “open, inclusive, secure, and rights-respecting digital ecosystems” USAID wants to build, it also touts invasive Digital ID initiatives, like the one USAID developed in Ukraine. The Ukraine digital ID initiative; Called Diia, requires citizens to use a digital marker to access any and all public services. The groundbreaking policy has led some to call the Ukraine the first ever “Digital State.”

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