OTF, Which Backs Tor, Let's Encrypt And More, Sues To Save Its Funding From Trump Cuts

Updated An organization that bankrolls various internet security projects has asked a Washington DC court to prevent the Trump administration from cancelling its federal funding – and expressed fears that if the cash stops flowing, the tools it supports could become harder to access.

The Open Technology Fund (OTF) backs projects including the nonprofit certificate authority Let's Encrypt and the Tor anonymizing network, among many other things designed to improve online privacy, promote democracy, and thwart repression around the world.

(Tor and Let's Encrypt each have or have had numerous sponsors besides the OTF, from big names in tech to European governments, we note.)

On March 14, the White House issued an executive order to eliminate the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and a few other such bodies "to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law."

The following day, former TV news anchor Kari Lake, now a Trump-selected special advisor to the USAGM, sent a letter to OTF declaring an end to all grant funding from agency. Lake also issued a statement that described USAGM as “a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer.” Supporters of the agency say it helps counter anti-American propaganda and was part of what was Uncle Sam's soft power on Earth.

Big fan, bigly, even ... Kari Lake shows off a painting of Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2023

Crucially, USAGM manages the Voice of America and Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and dispenses congressionally approved funding to various non-profit organizations, one of which is the OTF.

The OTF’s federal lawsuit [PDF] asks for a temporary restraining order that would prevent the USAGM and the US Office of Management and Budget from terminating a grant for the technology fund authorized by Congress that's not subject to executive branch control.

The complaint argues that in 2024, elected lawmakers specifically allocated $43.5 million for the OTF and its internet freedom programs, and that it's unconstitutional for the Trump administration to flout the will of Congress.

"The Open Technology Fund’s appropriation is explicitly set forth in the appropriations bills and is not subject to any executive discretion," the complaint states.

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The OTF claims tech it supports is used by more than two billion people. According to OTF board chairman Zack Cooper, that technology remains vital for countering censorship in China.

"The Chinese government is spending billions of dollars to erect the world’s most sophisticated censorship apparatus," said Cooper in a statement issued Friday. "OTF is the United States' most efficient and effective tool to counter this malign influence."

Withdrawing funding from OTF, Cooper contends, would harm US national security and "leave millions of people worldwide trapped behind authoritarian information firewalls."

If OTF’s funding stops flowing, harm to the global internet community could be significant. The OTF supports the development of the Messaging Layer Security Protocol that Apple and Google use to encrypt messages sent using Rich Communication Services (RCS) messages.

The OTF has also funded over 200 security audits and released more than 2,500 security patches for open source internet freedom tools. It supports VPNs used by 45 million people in China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, Myanmar, and other censorious regimes.

"These tools are essential information lifelines that must be preserved,” said OTF President Laura Cunningham in a statement. "This lawsuit is a last resort to keep our tools online for the people who need them most."

A similar lawsuit was filed on Friday against USAGM and Lake to prevent the shutdown of Voice of America and other government-funded news outlets. That complaint was backed by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), The NewsGuild-CWA, the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and seven individual workers. ®

Updated to add on March 27

Good news for the OTF: On Wednesday, the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) rescinded its March 15 grant terminations following the Open Technology Fund’s legal challenge.

In a statement, OTF President Laura Cunningham said: