The level of online freedom enjoyed by internet users around the world has taken a huge hit during the pandemic, new research shows. According to digital rights advocate Freedom House, political leaders around the world have used the pandemic to further surveillance agendas and limit access to online information and services. Covid-19 is also said to have lent an air of legitimacy to mass data collection initiatives, which were rushed without careful consideration due to the urgency of the public health crisis. "The coronavirus pandemic is accelerating a dramatic decline in global internet freedom," Freedom House's Adrian Shabaz and Allie Funk warned in a blog post. "State and non-state actors in many countries are seizing the opportunities created by the pandemic to shape narratives online, censor critical rhetoric, and build new technological systems of social control." As expected, Internet access in China and Iran remains the most restricted, but countries like India, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan have suffered the biggest drops in the last twelve months, and even in the United States. have fallen on the Internet Freedom Index.
Internet restrictions
According to Freedom House, the overall level of internet freedom has been declining for ten consecutive years, but took a particularly dim position in 2020. The report suggests that the pandemic combined with the US-China trade war and a broader shift toward cyber sovereignty is creating a perfect storm for the deterioration of Internet freedoms. "Authorities have cited the pandemic as a justification for expanding surveillance powers and deploying new technologies once considered too intrusive," Shabaz and Funk said. “But the rapid and uncontrolled deployment of these tools poses a great risk to privacy, transparency and human rights in general. And these surveillance systems would be very difficult, if not impossible, to take out of service. This year, the digital rights watchdog also observed intentional disruption of internet connectivity in a record 22 of the 65 countries monitored, many of which were directly linked to political unrest in the offending countries. The United States, traditionally considered a bastion of Internet freedom, has fallen one index point and has now declined for four consecutive years under the Donald Trump administration.An example of the country's tougher stance can be seen in the executive order , published by Trump in August, which prohibited US entities from doing business with Chinese companies TikTok and WeChat VPN use soared in the country after the announcement, demonstrating the reluctance of US citizens to suffer state interference in Internet freedoms."There is great value in a free, open, global Internet. Even in environments that would otherwise be highly oppressive, the unlimited online space offers immeasurable possibilities for free expression, community participation, and economic development," he added. Freedom House. “If digital communication platforms are to further the cause of human rights in the XNUMXst century, the Internet freedom movement must build strong governance structures that enshrine and uphold protections. "