China and Myanmar Rank Lowest in Internet Freedom
According to the 2024 ‘Freedom on the Net’ report by Freedom House, China and Myanmar have been ranked as the worst countries for internet freedom. The report, which evaluated data from June 2023 to May 2024, highlighted the challenges people face in accessing the internet, content restrictions, and violations of user rights.
China’s Internet Restrictions
China scored 9 out of 100, sharing the lowest rank with Myanmar. The Chinese government has intensified efforts to isolate its domestic internet from the global network by blocking international access to certain official websites and imposing heavy fines on individuals using virtual private networks (VPNs). The report also noted the repression of dissent, including censorship of discussions about activist Sun Lin, who died in November 2023.
Myanmar’s Internet Crackdown
Myanmar’s military has escalated its assault on internet freedom since the 2021 coup, conducting a violent crackdown on dissent and imprisoning thousands for their online speech. In May 2024, new censorship technology was introduced to block most VPNs, further restricting internet access.
Global Internet Freedom Trends
On a positive note, Iceland maintained its status as the freest online environment, while Zambia showed the largest improvement. The report also assessed Chile and the Netherlands for the first time, both demonstrating strong human rights safeguards online. However, global internet freedom has declined for the 14th consecutive year, with protections diminishing in 27 of the 72 countries covered.
Doubts Revealed
Freedom House -: Freedom House is an organization that studies and reports on how free people are in different countries, especially when it comes to things like speech and the internet.
Internet Freedom -: Internet freedom means being able to use the internet without restrictions, like being able to visit any website or share your thoughts online without fear.
VPN -: A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a tool that helps people use the internet more privately and securely, often used to access blocked websites.
Myanmar Coup -: A coup is when the military takes control of a country by force. In Myanmar, this happened in 2021, and since then, the military has been controlling the government.
Censorship Technology -: Censorship technology is used to block or control what people can see or say on the internet, often used by governments to stop people from accessing certain information.
Iceland -: Iceland is a country in Europe known for having a very free and open internet, meaning people there can use the internet without many restrictions.