A Bitcoin (BTC) advocacy organization will serve as a partner in a new U.S. State Department program designed to "advance diplomatic efforts on digital freedom and freedom of expression." The initiative will allow employees from the Bitcoin Policy Institute and three other partner organizations to collaborate with State Department officials on these critical issues.

The Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) announced on Friday via a post on X that it would be a founding partner in the State Department's Freedom Tech Excellence Program (FTEP). The organization stated that this program will permit its employees "to work alongside state department experts and defend digital freedoms around the world." Joining BPI as founding partners are Palantir Technologies, Anduril Industries, and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

According to a statement from the State Department, the program’s objective is clear. “FTEP brings private sector talent to the Department for limited-term assignments to advance diplomatic efforts on key issues including online freedom of expression, privacy-enhancing technologies, countering digital surveillance, and responsible AI governance,” the department said.

The BPI was established in 2021 and describes itself as a “non-partisan research and advocacy” organization. In the past, the institute has given its endorsement to efforts aimed at codifying an executive order from former U.S. President Donald Trump into law, which would establish a strategic crypto reserve. As of July, lawmakers in the U.S. Congress had not yet passed legislation to act on Trump’s March 2025 executive order.