In the same year that the US legalized using propaganda on its own citizens the USAGM started a sixth initiative – this one unlike any of the others. Called the Open Technology Fund, its mission is to “fund internet freedom technologies at every stage of the development cycle from proof-of-concept, to on-the-ground deployments, to multi-year efforts.” In less than ten years its impact has been staggering. Over 2 billion people around the world now use OTF-supported technology every day. More than two-thirds of all mobile devices play host to at least one application funded by the OTF. The standard rejoinder to all this hand waving is that the technology they produce is encrypted and censorship resistant. While technically true, this is (surprise!) misdirection. The goal is not to see the contents of your messages, but to gather your metadata. As NSA General Counsel Stewart Baker has said, “metadata absolutely tells you everything about somebody’s life. If you have enough metadata, you don’t really need conte…