Who is Mike Benz?
Mike Benz is a former official with the U.S. Department of State and current Executive Director of the Foundation For Freedom Online, is a free speech watchdog organization dedicated to restoring the promise of a free and open Internet.
TLDR — Key Topics and Moments
- 01Mike Benz discusses his work at the State Department and how he became a free speech advocate
- 02Deep dive into government censorship operations and coordination between tech platforms and federal agencies
- 03The role of the National Security State in controlling information and narrative during elections
- 04How the U.S. exported censorship infrastructure globally through the State Department
- 05The difference between Section 230 protections and how platforms use them selectively
- 06What needs to happen to restore internet freedom and reduce corporate-government collaboration
The Show
Mike Benz sits down with Joe to talk about his journey from State Department official to free speech crusader. He runs the Foundation For Freedom Online, an organization dedicated to fighting censorship and restoring an actually free internet. The conversation goes deep into how government and big tech have become deeply intertwined, operating as what Benz calls a de facto censorship regime.
Benz explains how during his time at the State Department, he watched the government develop and export censorship infrastructure globally, often under the guise of fighting disinformation and election interference. What started as genuine security concerns evolved into something much more expansive, where the government effectively outsources censorship to tech companies by flagging content as problematic, and the platforms comply. The whole system operates in a murky legal gray area where platforms can claim they're making independent moderation decisions while actually just following government suggestions.
The episode explores how this accelerated post-2016 when there was genuine panic in D.C. about election interference. Instead of addressing actual problems, the response was to build an infrastructure for controlling what Americans could see and say online. Benz details how multiple government agencies coordinate with each other and with tech platforms to suppress speech around elections, public health, foreign policy, and anything else deemed problematic by the national security establishment.
Joe and Mike discuss the chilling effect this has on free speech, even beyond what actually gets removed. People self-censor because they know the system exists. The platforms operate with such vague community standards that they can remove content retroactively or shadowban accounts without ever explaining why. It's a system designed to be opaque and hard to challenge.
Benz emphasizes that this isn't about left versus right politics, though it often appears that way. The national security state wants control over information flow regardless of political party. What changed is that tech companies gave the government a tool to do it at scale, and once you build that infrastructure, it doesn't go away. It expands.
Key Moments
Best Quotes
"The government doesn't actually censor. They just ask tech companies to do it for them."
"Once you build the infrastructure for controlling information, it doesn't go away. It expands."
"The national security state wants control over the information ecosystem regardless of which party is in power."
"People self-censor because they know the system exists, even if their specific post never gets removed."
"What started as election security concerns became a tool for controlling the entire narrative around what Americans can discuss."
Products and Books Mentioned
Everything brought up in this episode — linked to Amazon.
Foundation For Freedom Online
AmazonA free speech watchdog organization dedicated to restoring the promise of a free and open internet.
Squarespace
AmazonWebsite building and domain registration service with a free trial available at squarespace.com/rogan.
BetterHelp
AmazonOnline therapy and mental health counseling service available at betterhelp.com.
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Full Transcript (click to expand)
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