Protecting Free Speech for Tens of Millions Around the World

For most of the world’s population, freedom of speech, both online and off is anything but guaranteed. For leaders in the world's most repressive countries, the ability to cut off the internet and silence their population not only stifles dissent, it can also hide atrocities, as in Iran in 2019 where security forces killed over 300 civilians under the cover of an internet blackout.

To defend the right to free expression, Jigsaw created Outline, a technology platform designed to help people access the free and open internet even in places where free speech is most severely curtailed. Outline services are provided globally by digital rights organizations who set up and scale virtual private networks (VPNs) that are harder to detect and block than traditional VPNs.

For individuals, maintaining a connection to the open internet via VPNs can be challenging, however. Individuals often face a demanding and unreliable cycle of searching, downloading, and testing to find a working VPN, a particularly daunting challenge during the crises that often precipitate clamp downs on internet freedom. Recently, we released the Outline SDK to turn this problem on its head. By allowing any developer to build a more resilient connection directly into their apps, we’re allowing both publishers and platforms to ensure their communities can reach them in times of need.

Today, through a number of Outline-enabled apps like Deutsche Welle, Balatarin, and nthLink, Outline allows more than thirty million people to participate in the global internet – regardless of geography or circumstance.

To learn about building a more resilient connection to the internet for your community or to your own app, visit our website and Github repository.