China, Iran, and Syria Top the 'Internet Freedom Restrictors' List in 2016

A new report from 'Freedom House' on the state of internet freedom in 2016 shows that, as in the previous year, the most significant internet restrictions in the world are imposed by China, followed by Iran and Syria, which jointly hold the second position. Freedom House, an organization that monitors civil liberties globally, had ranked Iran third in internet freedom restrictors after Syria in its previous report. However, in the latest ranking, Iran, alongside Syria, achieved a score of 87 out of 100 for internet restriction. This ranking is based on three criteria: access restrictions, content restrictions, and user rights violations, showing only slight differences from Iran's internet freedom record in 2015. Freedom House reported that in 2016, while '44 percent' of Iran's 79 million population has internet access, restrictions on social networks and messaging apps, limitations on access to political and social content, and the detention of bloggers and communication technology activists continue in Iran, which is not a free country regarding press freedom. According to this report, Iran scored 19 out of 25 points regarding access restrictions this year, which is only one point less than the score assigned to Iran in 2015. Iran also received a score of 31 out of 35 for content restrictions, the same as the previous year, and in terms of user rights violations, it scored 37 out of 40, one point higher than the previous year. In Freedom House reports, a lower score in any of these indicators means more freedom, while a higher score indicates more restrictions. The best internet freedom conditions in the world in 2016 were still found in Iceland and Estonia, followed by the United States, Germany, Australia, and Japan. The report noted that 2016 marks the sixth consecutive year in which the state of internet freedom globally has worsened, with 34 countries assessed as having worse internet freedom than the previous year. At the top of these 34 countries are Uganda, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Ecuador, which fell four to six ranks in the annual ranking. According to this report, only 24 percent of internet users worldwide had access to information freedom in 2016. The freedom of 29 percent of users was somewhat restricted, and 35 percent of users had no freedom in accessing the internet. 2016 marks the sixth consecutive year of worsening internet freedom globally, with 34 countries assessed as having worse internet freedom than the previous year. The report also emphasized that this year, 24 governments worldwide prevented people from accessing media and social networks, a list that included only 15 countries in 2015. The Freedom House report stated that, in addition to the worsening internet freedom for the sixth consecutive year globally, more countries than before have restricted the use of social networks and messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram as tools for quickly disseminating news, especially during anti-government protests. The Freedom House report on global internet freedom also indicates that since the summer of 2015, police in 38 countries have arrested individuals due to their activities on social networks. The report also mentioned prison sentences for activists on social media, including a court in Saudi Arabia that sentenced a citizen to 10 years in prison and 2,000 lashes for promoting 'atheism' through his tweets. Key points from the Freedom House report regarding Iran emphasize that internet access in Iran improved last year, largely due to support for high-speed internet and the expansion of mobile internet. The report notes the popularity of Telegram among 20 million Iranian users but reminds that this messaging app has been pressured by Iranian authorities to cooperate in censorship or content restriction. The report also mentions that the Supreme Council of Cyberspace in Iran has given foreign companies active in messaging, like Telegram, a one-year opportunity to establish their servers in Iran to increase oversight of user activities and restrict them. It also refers to the eight-month detention of Iranian cartoonist Hadi Heydari for publishing a sympathetic cartoon about the victims of last year's attack in Paris, the detention of Lebanese internet freedom activist Nizar Zakka, and Arash Zad, a technology entrepreneur during their visit to Iran. Freedom House writes about the state of the internet in Iran: 'The most significant changes regarding internet freedom in Iran during Hassan Rouhani's presidency relate to access to the internet and the expansion of the information and communication technology market. During Rouhani's term, the budget of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology reached its highest level in history, indicating increased investment in both internet infrastructure and censorship tools.' According to this report, although internet speed has increased in recent years, it remains slow. The report also refers to factional struggles between conservatives and reformists in Iran, noting that Hassan Rouhani's promises to expand individual and social freedoms face obstacles from conservatives, especially in the judiciary and the Revolutionary Guards, which dominate many telecommunications and communications companies.