Freedom on the Net Report 2024

Freedom House, a non-profit organization, has released the annual 'Freedom on the Net Report'.

About the Freedom on the Net Report:

• The Freedom on the Net (FOTN) report assesses the level of internet freedom in 72 countries around the world.
• The level of internet freedom is assessed on a score of 0 to 100.
  • 0 means completely restricted and 100 means completely free.
• All countries are classified into three categories based on the score-
  • 0-39 score: Not Free
  • 40-69 score: Partly Free
  • 70-100 score: Free
• Internet freedom is assessed on three parameters:
  • Obstacles to Access
  • Limits on Content
  • Violations of User Rights 

Key findings of the Freedom on the Net Report 2024

• Global internet freedom has declined for the 14th consecutive year in 2024.
• Of the 72 countries included in the report, protection of human rights online has decreased in 27, while 18 countries have improved.
• Iceland retained its position as the ‘freest online environment’ in the world with a score of 94 out of 100.
• It was followed by Estonia (92), Canada (86), Chile (86) and Costa Rica (85).
• India was placed in the ‘partly free’ category with a score of 50 out of 100.
• Myanmar and China were tied for the worst in the world with a score of 9 out of 100.
• Kyrgyzstan saw the biggest drop in its 2024 score, followed by Azerbaijan, Belarus, Iraq and Zimbabwe.
• Zambia saw the biggest gain in 2024 scores.
• The US remained stable at a score of 76 out of 100, with Freedom House expressing concern about the lack of safeguards against government surveillance.
• For the first time in 2024, the report assesses the situations in Chile and the Netherlands.