Annual Report on Internet Freedom: The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism

The annual report "Freedom on the Internet" by Freedom House indicates that governments around the world are tightening their control over citizens' data and resorting to the claim of "fake news" to suppress dissenting voices. Freedom House, a non-governmental organization monitoring freedom worldwide based in the U.S., in its 2018 report on internet freedom, under the title "The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism", has increasingly identified online propaganda and misinformation as poisoning the digital space while simultaneously leading to the unrestrained collection of personal data, transforming traditional concepts of privacy. Governments in countries like Egypt and Iran have rewritten media-restrictive laws to apply to social media users and imprisoned critics under provisions designed to prevent fake news, while foreign social media and communication services are blocked. According to this year's report, China has become bolder and more skilled in controlling the internet within its borders and exporting its techniques to other countries. The report indicates that trends have led to a decline in internet freedom globally for the eighth consecutive year. It assesses internet freedom in 65 countries, encompassing 87% of internet users worldwide. In this report, the level of freedom of internet and digital media in 65 countries is calculated, and each country's freedom status is scored from zero for the freest to one hundred for the least free. Based on this, scores from zero to 30 indicate free status, from 31 to 60 somewhat free, and from 61 to 100 indicate unfree status. The level of internet and digital media freedom in Iran is evaluated at 85 and classified as unfree, unchanged from the previous year, while Iran's position with nearly 49.5 million internet users is identified as the lowest in the Middle East and North Africa region. The internet and new media in green-colored countries are identified as free, yellow as somewhat free, and blue as unfree. The report states that governments in countries like Egypt and Iran have rewritten media-restrictive laws to apply to social media users and imprisoned critics under provisions designed to prevent fake news, while foreign social media and communication services are blocked. Regarding internet disruption for political and security reasons, this year's Freedom House report indicates that users in 22 countries experienced the blocking of at least one social media network or communication platform, and in 13 countries, governments deliberately disrupted the internet or mobile networks. The report also mentions the efforts of the governments of Russia and Iran to block Telegram. A significant portion of this year's "Freedom on the Internet" report is dedicated to China's dominance and influence in the internet space, identifying 38 countries, including Iran, as having telecommunications infrastructure from Chinese companies and 36 countries, including Iran, as recipients of training courses in China on new media or information management. In Freedom House's 2018 report on internet freedom, it is stated that governments in Belarus, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Iran, and Russia have all taken actions to silence independent voices, essentially arguing that only the government can be trusted to separate truth from narrative. The report also notes the decline of internet freedom in the United States, highlighting that democratic governments express their determination to overcome encryption when national security is at stake. This year's Freedom House report on internet freedom considers the provision of internet freedom against the rise of digital authoritarianism as essential for safeguarding democracy, offering recommendations to policymakers and the private sector, some of which include adherence to international human rights laws and United Nations guiding principles.