U.S. Department launches Freedom Tech with Bitcoin Institute

The U.S. State Department has launched a new public-private partnership that embeds private sector experts, including from a leading Bitcoin advocacy group, into diplomatic roles focused on digital freedom. The Freedom Tech Excellence Program (FTEP), announced on July 24, 2026, names the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) as a founding partner alongside Palantir Technologies, Anduril Industries, and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

The program is structured as a talent-exchange initiative, placing private sector employees on limited-term assignments within the State Department to work on specific projects. These individuals will remain employed by their home organizations and the program is not a pathway to permanent government employment. According to the department, the arrangement allows private sector participants to contribute specialized skills in areas where the agency may lack in-house expertise, while gaining firsthand insight into foreign policy development.

The FTEP will focus on advancing diplomatic efforts in several key areas: defending online freedom of expression, promoting privacy-enhancing technologies like encryption and VPNs, countering unlawful...