Freedom on the Net 2023
2023
This report from Freedom House documents the state of internet freedom worldwide, analyzing human rights in the digital world in 70 countries. This year's report, which focuses on findings from June 2022 to May 2023, highlights the rising digital repression, attacks on free expression, and threats posed by governments' use of artificial intelligence (AI). The report findings show a record number of countries with cases of people facing legal or physical repercussions for online expression. The report specifically highlights the use of AI by governments, which has enabled the scale and efficiency of digital repression, including the spread of disinformation, growing surveillance, and online censorship. The report offers recommendations for policymakers and non-state actors to address the increasing threats to people's rights in the digital age, urging the adoption of human rights-based standards related to tools such as AI. During the period studied, the report found that global internet freedom declined for the thirteenth consecutive year– with China ranking as the worst environment for internet freedom for the ninth consecutive year, followed closely by Myanmar.
In addition to highlighting countries that experienced the biggest gains and declines in internet freedom, the report is accompanied by an interactive map of internet freedom, a table of country rankings, and supplementary policy recommendations.
Source:
Freedom on the Net 2023: The Repressive Power of Artificial Intelligence. Freedom House 2023. https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2023/repressive-power-artificial-intelligence.