The U.S. State Department has officially launched the Freedom Tech Excellence Program (FTEP), a talent-exchange initiative that brings private-sector experts into diplomatic roles to promote digital freedom. The Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) was named a founding partner alongside Palantir Technologies, Anduril Industries, and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
The program, announced on Friday, will embed employees from these organizations on limited-term assignments at the State Department. Their work will focus on advancing First Amendment rights online, countering digital surveillance, developing privacy-enhancing technologies, and shaping responsible artificial intelligence governance. The State Department emphasized that participants will retain their positions with their home organizations and will not transition to full-time federal employment.
This move aligns with President Donald Trump's second-term crypto agenda, which includes an executive order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a digital asset stockpile funded by approximately 200,000 BTC seized in criminal forfeitures. The administration has directed agencies to position the U.S. as a 'crypto capital of the world,' and the inclusion of BPI signals that Bitcoin is seen as a tool to circumvent censorship and financial control by authoritarian regimes.
BPI, founded in 2021, is a non-profit think tank focused on policy research and education. Its president, David Zell, said the partnership will let the institute contribute to diplomatic efforts around digital freedom. The first FTEP assignments are expected to commence this quarter, with an initial review of outcomes planned for September 2026, according to State Department projections.
