Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers convened 47 foreign technology policymakers and government representatives from 30 countries in San Francisco, California, for Digital NEXT: Protecting Digital Liberties in the AI Era, on July 31.
The delegation participated in tailored dialogues with leading American technology companies to observe how the U.S. private sector is addressing digital freedom challenges and providing alternatives to regulatory models that may infringe on privacy and freedom of expression. A capstone fireside chat hosted by the Silicon Valley Office of Protocol featured conversations with Elon Musk, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson, and Tim Hwang of the Foundation for American Innovation. During this session, Rogers said it was important to protect children online, “in ways that do not unduly restrict freedom of speech or stifle innovation.”
Rogers also announced the launch of the Freedom Tech Excellence Program (FTEP), a new partnership between the Department of State and leading technology companies, civil society organizations, and think tanks aimed at advancing U.S. digital freedom objectives globally. Through FTEP, private sector organizations will send experts for limited-term assignments to contribute their expertise to the Department’s work on issues such as promoting online freedom of expression, privacy-enhancing technologies, responsible artificial intelligence governance, and countering digital surveillance.
According to Rogers, FTEP provides participating organizations with direct insight into how these policies impact their interests while helping the Department anticipate challenges affecting both American businesses and citizens’ rights online.
The inaugural partners announced for FTEP are Palantir Technologies, Anduril Industries, Bitcoin Policy Institute, and Victims of Communism Foundation. The Department indicated it looks forward to welcoming additional organizations into this partnership.