U.S. State Department Accused of Orchestrating Global Censorship Efforts Impacting Free Speech

Mike Benz, a former U.S. State Department official and founder of the Foundation for Freedom Online, issued a "red alert" on social media, alleging that the White House and State Department are actively orchestrating global censorship efforts. In his urgent tweet, Benz stated, > "The thing I’ve screamed they’d do is officially being done and only official state pressure brought by YOU 🫵 can stop it ‼️ Leverage everything: TRADE, AID, ARMS & SANCTIONS. This is the hill to die on, free speech is dead if not."

Benz describes these actions as part of an evolving "censorship industrial complex" driven by what he terms "the Blob," referring to the entrenched foreign policy establishment. He asserts that this complex involves a coordinated effort between U.S. government agencies, private sector companies, civil society institutions, and media organizations to suppress information and "populist" movements globally.

He points to the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) and recent developments in Brazil, including pressure on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), as key examples of this alleged global censorship. According to Benz, the U.S. government leverages its diplomatic and economic influence, including trade, aid, arms, and sanctions, to compel social media companies and foreign nations to comply with its information control agenda.

Benz's Foundation for Freedom Online advocates for internet freedom and protection of online expression, focusing on countering what it identifies as authoritarian censorship. His public statements consistently highlight concerns that tools and strategies initially developed for foreign interventions are increasingly being repurposed to influence and control domestic narratives and online discourse, impacting fundamental free speech principles.