Analysis: Foreign Aid Funds Technology to Protect Protesters

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Doyle McManus argues that as “Congress is getting ready to make deep cuts in federal spending, including foreign aid, one program it ought to spare” is the State Department’s funding of Internet and cellphone technology that assists “democracy movements around the world.” While these efforts originally centered on providing access to information through Internet circumvention, the focus has shifted to protection of activists. As protesters’ use of social media websites and text messages has increased, so have efforts by governments to use these technologies to track dissidents.

An official with the State Department noted that “if you want to help democrats succeed, the best way is to help them stay out of jail.” Mobileactive.org is one example of a non-profit organization that has been supported by the State Department to develop such protective technology, including a cellphone program calling “In the Clear,” which equips users with an emergency delete button that purges contact information, messages, and videos. The program also offers an automated “I’ve been arrested!” text-message alert with location coordinates. “In the Clear” is still being developed, but has been disseminated informally from user to user, and is already in use among protesters in Syria, according to Radwan Ziadeh.