(ZENIT News / Washington, 03.04.2025).- A prominent legal group specializing in religious freedom has launched an inquiry into allegations that a U.S. government science agency may have played a role in suppressing free speech. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Center for Free Speech has initiated a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests aimed at uncovering potential violations within the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The NSF, an independent federal agency founded in 1950 to support scientific progress and national security, is now facing scrutiny over whether its resources have been used to develop tools capable of censoring online speech. The legal team intends to file a total of 12 FOIA requests to determine the extent of potential government involvement in regulating digital discourse.
Two of these requests, submitted on February 28, specifically seek records of communication between NSF officials and major technology companies—including Meta, Google, YouTube, Twitter, and Reddit—concerning terms such as “disinformation,” “hate speech,” “election integrity,” and “misinformation.” The goal is to determine whether taxpayer dollars were used to facilitate online censorship and whether government officials actively participated in moderating social media discussions.
“The American public deserves to know whether their government was involved in suppressing speech online,” said Phil Sechler, senior counsel for ADF and director of its Center for Free Speech. “If federal funds were used to create censorship mechanisms targeting certain viewpoints, that is a clear violation of constitutional rights.”
The National Science Foundation has declined to comment on the matter.
The inquiry comes amid growing concerns about the potential expansion of European-style speech regulations into the United States. Vice President JD Vance has been vocal about the risks, warning that crackdowns on speech seen overseas could set a precedent for similar actions in America. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Vance contrasted the previous administration’s approach with the current one, declaring, “There’s a new sheriff in Washington. While the Biden administration sought to silence people for expressing their views, the Trump administration will do exactly the opposite.”
On January 20, the day of his inauguration, President Donald Trump issued an executive order titled «Restoring Free Speech and Ending Federal Censorship», reinforcing his administration’s stance against government-led moderation of speech.
Vance reaffirmed his position during a White House meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on February 27, doubling down on his remarks from Munich. “I said what I said,” he told «The Daily Signal», emphasizing that while Britain is free to set its own policies, restrictions on speech in allied nations could impact American tech companies and, by extension, U.S. citizens. He indicated that the administration intends to engage with international leaders on the issue.
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