Close

Freedom on the Net

Edition:
2011 Edition Release

On April 18, 2011, Freedom House released its latest Freedom on the Net report assessing the degree of internet freedom around the world. The new edition includes detailed country reports and a first-of-its-kind numerical index covering 37 countries in six geographical regions. In addition, an analytical overview essay and accompanying graphics will highlight key findings and emerging threats to global digital media freedom. To view the full report, click here.
 
About the Survey

Over the past decade, the influence of the internet as a means to spread information and challenge existing media controls has rapidly expanded. As events in the Middle East in winter of 2011 have demonstrated, the internet has also emerged as a crucial medium through which citizens can mobilize and advocate for political, social, and economic reform. Fearing the power of the new technologies, authoritarian states have devised subtle and not-so-subtle ways to filter, monitor, and otherwise obstruct or manipulate the openness of the internet. Even a number of democratic states have considered or implemented various restrictions in response to the potential legal, economic, and security challenges raised by new media.

In order to illuminate these emerging threats and identify areas of opportunity for internet freedom, Freedom House has developed the first comprehensive, comparative, and numerically based set of indicators for monitoring and analyzing internet freedom. In consultation with leading experts, Freedom House has devised a unique, systematic, and innovative way of assessing internet freedom across the full spectrum of country types. This methodology was first tested on 15 countries in Freedom House’s pilot edition of Freedom on the Net, published in 2009.

An expanded edition, covering 37 countries in six geographical regions, is being released in April 2011. Each country assessment includes a detailed narrative report and numerical score, based on Freedom House’s first-of-its-kind methodology.

This methodology applies a three-pillared approach to capture the level of internet and ICT freedom:

1) Obstacles to Access—including infrastructural and economic barriers to access, legal and ownership control over internet service providers (ISPs), and independence of regulatory bodies;

2) Limits on Content—including legal regulations on content, technical filtering and blocking of websites, self-censorship, the vibrancy/diversity of online news media, and the use of ICTs for civic mobilization;

3) Violations of User Rights—including surveillance, privacy, and repercussions for online activity, such as imprisonment, extralegal harassment, or cyber attacks.

 

Our Impact

The 2009 Freedom on the Net pilot edition received widespread media coverage and attention in the policymaking community. This included coverage by Agence France-Presse and the Wall Street Journal, as well as local media in Thailand, South Africa, Australia, and elsewhere. The pilot study’s analysis was also taken up in a U.S. congressional resolution, the 2009 Annual Report of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and an online resource repository maintained by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In the process of producing these two publications on internet freedom, Freedom House has established an extensive network of researchers and partners who track developments in nearly 40 countries.
 
Notable Reviews

“The launch of Freedom House's first study of online freedom last week is welcome... As governments catch up with technology and introduce more sophisticated censorship programs, protecting online speech will only become more important. The Internet can be a powerful avenue for free speech—or for propaganda. The Freedom House study is a good first step in understanding what makes the difference.”

Wall Street Journal editorial, April 9, 2009
Freedom House - Click to return to the Home Page
Search Freedom House
 
This year Freedom House celebrates its 70th anniversary. We invite you to visit the special anniversary section of our website where you can learn more about the history and evolution of Freedom House through photos, videos, and narrative.
Launch the application >>
Freedom Alerts
The Ugandan Parliament closed out their current session today without debating or adopting pernicious anti-homosexual legislation that has threatened to become part of the legislative agenda for months. Parliament initially pushed back the debate and adoption of the bill after outcry from rights groups, the internet and U.S. leaders. Human rights organizations Avaaz and Allout gathered more than 1.4 million signatures via online petitions and had the internet buzzing with discussion of the bill. The bill could still be considered at the next session when the Ugandan Parliament reconvenes on May 18.
At least 20 people have been killed and seven wounded in Yemen while protesting against President Ali Abdullah Saleh. On Thursday, gunmen fired from the roof of the ruling party’s headquarters in Bayda, killing three demonstrators. On Wednesday, security forces and gunmen fired at demonstrators marching from University Square to government headquarters in Sanaa, killing 12 and wounding 340. In light of the recent violence, the U.S. State Department is calling on Saleh to immediately step down and transfer power with the intervention of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
According to media reports, Kuwait will step forward as a candidate for the Asia group in the upcoming elections to the UN Human Rights Council, a move which will likely to result in Syria’s withdrawal of its candidacy. Kuwait’s decision allows for a competitive slate within the Asia group which had been running a “clean slate” until now increasing Syria’s chances of a humiliating defeat. Human rights organizations as well as many Western missions have been lobbying for Syria to withdraw its bid since the government’s violent crackdown on anti-government protesters began in March.
Bahraini authorities announced that they have expelled Reuters journalist Frederik Richter, who was based in the capital city of Manama since 2008. Richter was told he had to leave within one week—after government officials complained his reporting on protest crackdowns was unbalanced. Reuters is not closing its Bahrain office and stands by Richter’s actions.