Other FARA Resources
To learn more about FARA and the civil liberties concerns raised by the Act visit ICNL’s FARA page. This page provides additional FARA resources, including ICNL submissions and sign on letters to the Justice Department on FARA as well as select articles on FARA.
Reports, Articles and Resources
Foreign Influence Registration Laws and Civil Society: An analysis and Responses
Global survey of foreign influence registration laws which compares over 30 proposed or enacted bills and their potential impact on civil society. Also includes substantive arguments against overbroad foreign influence registration laws and potential response strategies.
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ICNL Congressional Testimony on FARA
ICNL testified at a U.S. House committee hearing in April 2022, highlighting how FARA can interfere with the operations of nonprofits, businesses, religious institutions, and in ways that Congress never intended.
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The Foreign Agents Registration Act Is Broken
This piece by ICNL legal advisor Nick Robinson argues that stepping up enforcement of FARA before reforming the act is a recipe for disaster. (Via Foreign Policy)
Read MoreAid Barriers and the Rise of Philanthropic Protectionism
A 2015 article by Doug Rutzen in the International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law on the rise of restrictions on foreign funding in nations around the world.
Read MoreSee also
• Everything to know about FARA, and why it shouldn’t be used against the press: Alexandra Ellerbeck and Avi Asher-Shapiro, Columbia Journalism Review, June 11, 2018.
The Unintended “Foreign Agents”: Nick Robinson and Doug Rutzen, Just Security, March 22, 2018.
• Fara.gov: The Department of Justice’s website on FARA. It includes the Act itself, regulations, and FAQs among other information.
ICNL Submissions and Sign On Letters
ICNL Submissions to the Department of Justice
• ICNL Submission to the Justice Department on proposed FARA regulations and their impact on civil society, March 2025
• ICNL Submission to the Justice Department on FARA’s Impact on Civil Society, February 2022
Sign On Letters
• Sign on Letter to the Justice Department on proposed FARA regulations and their impact on First Amendment rights, March 2025
• Sign-on Letter to the Justice Department on FARA’s Impact on First Amendment Rights, February 2022
• Open Letter to Congress Concerning Foreign Agents Registration Act (2018): Signed by 46 humanitarian and development organizations expressing concern over ramping up enforcement of FARA without better targeting the Act. See also, accompanying FAQ to the open letter.
For more information contact Nick Robinson at nrobinson@icnl.org.