Michael Pack Seeks to Cut Off Funding for Global Internet Access Group

Michael Pack, the Trump appointee who oversees the government’s global media operations, is moving to shut down a federally funded nonprofit that helps support internet access around the world, a decision that could limit people’s ability to get around constraints in places that tightly control internet access, like Iran and China. Pack, the chief executive of the US Agency for Global Media, is seeking to restrict the nonprofit, the Open Technology Fund, from receiving federal funding for three years, in part because of a dispute over whether the fund should support work done by the Falun Gong, the spiritual movement known for spreading anti-China, pro-Trump misinformation. His action, a month before President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. takes office, would be difficult for the new administration to undo. The nonprofit, which is funded by the global media agency, helps develop technology that makes it easier for more than 2 billion people in over 60 countries to access the internet. It is known for helping create tools like Signal, an encrypted messaging application, and Tor, a web browser that conceals a user’s identity while logged onto the internet.