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22 U.S.C. § 8755 — Strategy and grant program to promote internet freedom in Iran
Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
**(a) Strategy**
(1) **In general** — Not later than 90 days after December 23, 2024, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, shall develop a strategy to support and enhance access to information by civil society in Iran.
(2) **Elements** — The strategy required in subparagraph (A) 11 So in original. Probably should be “paragraph (1)”. shall include the following elements:
(A) An evaluation of the use of virtual private networks by civil society in Iran.
(B) An assessment of the level of internet access for Iranians who do not use virtual private networks, including levels of reliable connectivity, bandwidth, and coverage, as well as censorship, surveillance, and other limitations on internet access.
(C) A strategy to increase the accessibility of virtual private networks in Iran.
(D) An assessment of alternatives to virtual private networks that are capable of circumventing restrictions on open internet access imposed by the Government of Iran.
(E) An assessment of how companies providing Iranian civilians with technology and other tools to overcome technical and political obstacles are able to access the open internet.
(F) An assessment of the ability of the Government of Iran to cut off all access to the internet in Iran.
(G) A strategy to circumvent internet blackouts for Iranian civil society.
(3) **Initial update** — Not later than 120 days after December 23, 2024, the Secretary, in consultation with the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate an updated version of the strategy required in paragraph (1).
(4) **Periodic review and updates** —
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Source location: Title 22, Chapter 94, § 8755; chapter-094-iran-threat-reduction-and-syria-human-rights.md
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**(a) Strategy**
(1) **In general** — Not later than 90 days after December 23, 2024, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, shall develop a strategy to support and enhance access to information by civil society in Iran.
(2) **Elements** — The strategy required in subparagraph (A) 11 So in original. Probably should be “paragraph (1)”. shall include the following elements:
(A) An evaluation of the use of virtual private networks by civil society in Iran.
(B) An assessment of the level of internet access for Iranians who do not use virtual private networks, including levels of reliable connectivity, bandwidth, and coverage, as well as censorship, surveillance, and other limitations on internet access.
(C) A strategy to increase the accessibility of virtual private networks in Iran.
(D) An assessment of alternatives to virtual private networks that are capable of circumventing restrictions on open internet access imposed by the Government of Iran.
(E) An assessment of how companies providing Iranian civilians with technology and other tools to overcome technical and political obstacles are able to access the open internet.
(F) An assessment of the ability of the Government of Iran to cut off all access to the internet in Iran.
(G) A strategy to circumvent internet blackouts for Iranian civil society.
(3) **Initial update** — Not later than 120 days after December 23, 2024, the Secretary, in consultation with the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate an updated version of the strategy required in paragraph (1).
(4) **Periodic review and updates** — The Secretary, in consultation with the heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, shall—
(A) not less frequently than twice each year, review the strategy required in paragraph (1); and
(B) if the results of such review indicate that modifications to such strategy are required to more effectively promote internet freedom and access to information for civil society in Iran, submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate an updated version of such strategy.
(5) **Form** — Each strategy required to be submitted under this subsection shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
**(b) Grant program and contract authority**
(1) **In general** — The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development and the President of the Open Technology Fund, as appropriate, may award grants and enter into contracts to private organizations to support and develop programs in Iran that promote or expand—
(A) an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure internet; and
(B) the online exercise of internationally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms of civil society in Iran.
(2) **Program goals** — The goal of each program developed with a grant funds awarded pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be to—
(A) support unrestricted access to the internet in Iran;
(B) increase the availability of internet freedom tools to overcome technical and political obstacles to internet access in Iran;
(C) increase the distribution of such technologies and tools throughout Iran;
(D) conduct research on repressive tactics that undermine internet freedom in Iran;
(E) ensure that information regarding digital safety is available to civil society in Iran; or
(F) engage private industry, including e-commerce firms and social networking companies, regarding the importance of preserving unrestricted internet access in Iran.
(3) **Grant award requirements** — The Secretary shall award grants authorized in paragraph (1) to recipients through an evidence-based process.
(4) **Security audits** — The Secretary shall conduct a comprehensive security audit of each new technology developed using grant funds distributed pursuant to paragraph (1) to ensure that each such technology is secure and has not been compromised in a manner detrimental to—
(A) the interests of the United States; or
(B) an individual or organization benefitting from a program supported by such funding.
(5) **Authorization of appropriations**
(A) *In general* — There is authorized to be appropriated for the Open Technology Fund established under [section 6208a of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title22-section6208a&num=0&edition=prelim) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 and 2026 to carry out the grant program authorized under this subsection.
(B) *Availability* — Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization in subparagraph (A) are authorized remain available until expended.
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
**(a) Authority**
(1) **In general** — Grants authorized under [section 6204 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title22-section6204&num=0&edition=prelim) shall be available to make annual grants for the purpose of promoting, consistent with United States law, unrestricted access to uncensored sources of information via the internet to enable journalists, including journalists employed by or affiliated with the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, or any entity funded by or partnering with the United States Agency for Global Media, to create and disseminate, and for their audiences to receive, news and information consistent with the purposes, standards, and principles specified in sections 6201 and 6202 of this title.
(2) **Establishment** — There is established a grantee entity to be known as the “Open Technology Fund”, which shall carry out the provisions of this section.
**(b) Functions of the grantee** In furtherance of the mission set forth in subsection (a), the Open Technology Fund shall seek to advance freedom of the press and unrestricted access to the internet in repressive environments oversees, and shall—
(1) research, develop, implement, and maintain—
(A) technologies that circumvent techniques used by authoritarian governments, nonstate actors, and others to block or censor access to the internet, including circumvention tools that bypass internet blocking, filtering, and other censorship techniques used to limit or block legitimate access to content and information; and
(B) secure communication tools and other forms of privacy and security technology that facilitate the creation and distribution of news
Source: Supplied U.S. Code snapshot — release unconfirmed · 22 U.S.C. § 6208a
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
Page 2134
TITLE 22—FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE
§ 8755
section 6208a of this title $15,000,000 for each
of fiscal years 2025 and 2026 to carry out the
grant program authorized under this sub-
section.
(B) Availability
Amounts appropriated pursuant to the au-
thorization in subparagraph (A) are author-
ized remain available until expended.
(Pub. L. 118–159, div. E, title LI, § 5124, Dec. 23,
2024, 138 Stat. 2431.)
Editorial Notes
CODIFICATION
Section was enacted as part of the Servicemember
Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Au-
thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, and not as part of
the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights
Act of 2012 which comprises this chapter.
§ 8755. Statement of policy on political prisoners
It shall be the policy of the United States—
(1) to support efforts to research and identify
prisoners of conscience and cases of human
rights abuses in Iran;
(2) to offer refugee status or political asylum
in the United States to political dissidents in
Iran if requested and consistent with the laws
and national security interests of the United
States;
(3) to offer to assist, through the United Na-
tions High Commissioner for Refugees, with
the relocation of such political prisoners to
other countries if requested, as appropriate
and with appropriate consideration for the na-
tional security interests of the United States;
and
(4) to publicly call for the release of Iranian
dissidents by name and raise awareness with
respect to individual cases of Iranian dis-
sidents and prisoners of conscience, as appro-
priate and if requested by the dissidents or
prisoners themselves or their families.
(Pub. L. 112–158, title IV, § 415, Aug. 10, 2012, 126
Stat. 1257.)
§ 8756. Secretary of State assistance for pri
Source: Supplied 2024 U.S. Code historical extraction · 22 U.S.C. § 8755
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