China & Pakistan among worst countries for internet freedom; India 'partly-free': Report

China and Pakistan featured among the worst countries on the global rankings on internet freedom, according to a report released by a US-based international freedom advocacy group Freedom House.

"Chinese authorities imposed draconian prison terms for online dissent, independent reporting, and mundane daily communications. The Covid-19 pandemic remains one of the most heavily censored topics. Officials also cracked down on the country’s tech giants..." the report said.

The report titled "Freedom on the Net 2021: The Global Drive to Control Big Tech" stated that global internet freedom declined for the 11th consecutive year in 2021.

India with a score of 49/100 was classified as ‘partly-free’.

"In India, internet access was cut off repeatedly throughout January and February 2021 as farmers took to the streets... government also ordered the blocking of hundreds of mobile apps owned by China-based companies... pressured Twitter to remove protest-related and critical commentary and to stop flagging manipulated content shared by the ruling party (BJP)," the report stated.

The group designates countries with scores between 70 to 100 as ‘free’ on internet freedom status, while those with points between 40 to 69 are designated as ‘partly-free’. Countries scoring less than 39 are designated as ‘not free’.

Meanwhile, Myanmar, Belarus, and Uganda saw the greatest deteriorations amid crackdowns by state forces and electoral and constitutional crises.

The United States’s score declined for the fifth consecutive year as "false, misleading, and manipulated information continued to proliferate online, even affecting public acceptance of the 2020 presidential election results."

Top 10 countries with the highest level of internet freedom

Iceland, Estonia, Canada, Costa Rica, Taiwan, Germany, France, UK, Georgia, Japan.

Top 10 countries with the lowest level of internet freedom

China, Iran, Myanmar, Cuba, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, UAE, Ethiopia.

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