# Freedom Tech Excellence Program A [[Department of State]] initiative, run through the department's Global Partnerships Unit, that places private-sector employees on limited-term assignments advising U.S. diplomacy on "online freedom of expression, privacy-enhancing technologies, countering digital surveillance, and responsible AI governance." Announced partners include [[Palantir]] and [[Anduril]] — both [[Peter Thiel]]-network firms whose core businesses are government data integration and autonomous defense systems. The program is planned to run through the beginning of 2029. The State Department told The Intercept that FTEP "is not geared towards bolstering the Department's internal application or operational use of AI technologies," positioning it as a diplomacy-advisory rather than procurement channel. Press-freedom and civil-liberties groups have characterized the partner selection as doublespeak. > [!note] Stub > Minimum-viable page created to support the [[Peter Thiel News Log]] entry of 2026-08-07. Expand with the full partner roster, placement counts, and any resulting diplomatic policy outputs.