Bitcoin Policy Institute, Palantir and Anduril join US State Department's Freedom Tech Excellence Program

The U.S. Department of State has launched a new initiative called the Freedom Tech Excellence Program (FTEP), naming the Bitcoin Policy Institute as a founding partner alongside companies including Palantir Technologies and Anduril Industries, and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

According to a government announcement on Friday, FTEP is structured as a talent-exchange program at the State Department that will embed private-sector employees in initiatives aimed at advancing diplomatic efforts around “digital freedom and freedom of expression.”

"FTEP brings private sector experts like BPI into the State Department to advance diplomatic efforts on key issues including online freedom of expression, privacy-enhancing technologies, countering digital surveillance, and responsible AI governance," the Bitcoin Policy Institute said Friday on X. 

These assignments could include efforts aimed at protecting First Amendment principles online, countering digital surveillance and online scams, advancing privacy-enhancing technologies and working on responsible AI governance, among other goals.

"Private sector participants gain firsthand insights into foreign policy and development, while contributing their specialized skills in new and emerging areas where the Department may lack sufficient in-house expertise," the State Department wrote.

Participating employees will take limited-term assignments while remaining employed by their home organizations, according to the announcement. The agency noted this is not a pathway toward full-time government employment. 

President Donald Trump has made crypto a key focus during his second term, and has directed executive agencies to enact policies aimed at making the U.S. the "crypto capital of the world." This includes his executive order establishing a national bitcoin reserve and crypto stockpile, comprised of apprehended assets from criminal seizures. 

Launched in 2021, BPI calls itself a "non-profit, non-partisan think tank dedicated to advancing sound Bitcoin policy through research, education, and direct engagement with policymakers." Prominent bitcoin personality David Zell serves as president.

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation is a non-profit organization set up by an Act of Congress in 1993, under President Bill Clinton, to raise money to create "a national memorial to honor the victims of communism."