OTF, which backs Tor, Let's Encrypt and more, sues to save funding from Trump cuts

An organization that bankrolls various internet security projects has asked a Washington DC court to prevent the Trump administration from cancelling its federal funding – and expressed fears that if the cash stops flowing, the tools it supports could become harder to access.

The Open Technology Fund (OTF) backs projects including the nonprofit certificate authority Let's Encrypt and the Tor anonymizing network, among other things designed to improve online privacy, promote democracy, and thwart repression around the world. Tor and Let's Encrypt each have or have had numerous sponsors besides the OTF, from big names in tech to European governments, for what it's worth.

On March 14, the White House issued an executive order to eliminate the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and a few other such bodies "to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law."

The following day, former TV news anchor Kari Lake, now ...