Senators Introduce Legislation to Bypass Authoritarian Internet Crackdowns

Sens Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) introduced the Protecting Against Tyrants by Restoring Internet Access and Yielding Vital Interconnectivity in Designated Areas (PATRIA Y VIDA) Act to build a strategy to protect internet freedom worldwide and strengthen support for technologies that allow users to evade foreign government-backed censorship and restrictions. The Cuban regime’s censorship of internet access across the island during the historic July 11th protests in Cuba highlights the need for this groundbreaking legislation. The PATRIA Y VIDA Act would "require the US government to obtain and maintain the capacity to transmit internet access service abroad and domestically in case of emergency-related disruptions, and to strengthen support for circumvention technologies that allow users to evade government-backed censorship."