"Americans should be concerned" – digital rights experts respond to the US withdrawal from internet freedom organization

• US has withdrawn from 66 organizations, including the Freedom Online Coalition
• The organization advance internet freedom and digital rights
• Experts say global norms are now at risk

Digital rights experts have criticized the Trump administration's decision to withdraw from the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) and its broader retreat from multilateral cooperation.

In a press statement, The Center for Democracy and Technology's (CDT) President and CEO, Alexandra Givens, said: “These withdrawals are an abdication of important US commitments and responsibilities to uphold human rights and democratic principles, broadly and in the digital world."

It's a view shared by Konstantinos Komaitis, senior resident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab and member of the FOC's advisory network.

"The message is unmistakable: Internet freedom is no longer a pillar of US foreign policy," Komaitis wrote in Tech Policy Press.

Targeting 'progressive' tech bodies

On Wednesday, the United States withdrew from 66 international organizations the Trump administration deems "contrary to the interests" of the country. Affected groups include UN climate treaties, organizations working on international conflict resolution and gender equality initiatives.

In its statement, the CDT highlighted the wide scope of the withdrawal, noting the inclusion of the FOC alongside the Venice Commission, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.

In a press statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed these organizations have become "dominated by progressive ideology and detached from national interests."

Real-world repercussions

The Freedom Online Coalition is a group of more than 40 governments that work together to promote a world "where the use of the Internet and digital technologies reinforces human rights, democracy, and the rule of law."

Its strength lies in its collective voice, according to Komaitis. When "member states spoke collectively about internet shutdowns, surveillance practices, or digital repression, those interventions were amplified by the presence of actors able to project influence across multiple policy domains," he wrote.

In 2012, the FOC launched the Digital Defenders Partnership (DDP) – a fund managed by Hivos to support digital activists under threat. The fund has been instrumental in financing digital rights initiatives, including providing VPNs "to protect human rights defenders from censorship and surveillance."

The US withdrawal is "unlikely to have an immediate or direct impact" on the group, Komaitis told TechRadar. However, he noted that the decision could affect the wider international landscape in which DDP and similar organizations operate.

Asked whether there was recourse for the FOC to push back against the decision, Komaitis said: "Any response would likely focus on maintaining cooperation among remaining partners and ensuring continuity of support through existing multilateral channels."

A gift to authoritarians?

While US involvement in these organizations was important, experts say they will continue to operate. "It would be wrong to suggest that the FOC will falter, let alone collapse, in the absence of the US," Komaitis argues.

However, the long-term implications of this move could be significant. By stepping away from the global stage, the US risks inviting others to take its place.

By withdrawing, the US "creates space for China to reappropriate the language of governance and rights," Komaitis warns. With this shift, basic concepts of internet freedom could be transformed "in ways that subordinate individual freedoms to regime stability".

The feeling, then, is that this retreat puts the digital safety of everyday users at risk.

Alexandra Givens at the CDT argues in her statement that the administration is "abandoning longstanding efforts to advance democracy, defend human rights online, and stop the abuses of spyware, particularly as free expression comes under attack from governments around the world—including our own."

"US participation in international collaboration on human rights standards helps keep Americans safe," Givens concludes. "This move will inevitably weaken the rights and security of Americans and people around the world for years to come."