Solicitation for US Propaganda Disruption Ideas

cryptome.org

33 points·01PH··5 comments

Look interesting, but I'm not quite sure how this has to do with "propaganda disruption." Could somebody please enlighten me?

Misleading title. It's a solicitation for entries to a contest (the Open Technology Fund) that awards money to disruptive technology projects for advancing Internet freedom and human rights.

The contest is being administered by an organization (Radio Free Asia) that has been criticized as propagandistic in its charter to provide information to people in Asia who lack adequate protections for freedom of expression, free speech, and a free press. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Asia#Criticism

The contest has in the past provided funding to projects like Cryptocat; see a list here: https://opentechfund.org/projects

I have no idea how they derived that title from the email.

I also object to the use of the word "propaganda". In fact, ironically enough, I think that singling out US propaganda is itself kind of propaganda. I have little love for the USA but be fair: to reach out to the types of people who'd be listening to "Radio Free Asia" you need to fight fire with fire.

Soliciting for a drone strike more like it.

"Radio Free Asia is a US-government funded, non-profit organization, incorporated in March 1996, and began broadcasting in September 1996" [0]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Asia

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