On September 5, the National Security Council staff’s Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Intelligence and Defense Policy Maher Bitar and Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Democracy and Human Rights Kelly Razzouk, along with Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Dafna Rand, convened civil society and private sector partners in a historic first-of-its-kind discussion at the White House on virtual private networks (VPNs). In light of increasing threats to online freedom around the world, VPNs are not only critical for the most at-risk, but an essential prerequisite for billions of people around the world who want to access the free, open, and global Internet as we experience it in the United States. Internet censorship and fragmentation have profound implications for global democracy, the national security of the United States, and the competitiveness and global market reach of American companies.
During the meeting – a follow-on to the 2023 Summit for Democracy Public-Private Sector Call to Advance Democracy-Affirming Technologies – participants focused on how to build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to enable free and unrestricted internet access to millions of people facing digital repression. Representatives discussed the operating costs of VPNs, a central challenge of scaling to meet the global demand from those living under repressive regimes. The stakeholders also discussed new approaches and steps to reduce costs of VPNs, and further expressed broad support on the need to expand collaboration and outreach to encourage support for these tools.
Working in close conjunction with the Open Technology Fund, the Department of State has provided tens of millions of dollars to enable tens of millions of people in autocracies to use these increasingly vital technologies, including through the Surge and Sustain Fund. Moving forward we will bolster our engagement with governmental and non-governmental stakeholders to advance innovative solutions to VPN access and continue to defend human rights online and offline around the globe.