China leads in violating internet freedom in the world according to the report published by the Freedom House who is followed by Syria and then Ethiopia. The report declared that China leads in violating the internet freedom which suggested that the country highly manipulates the social media to undermine democracy.
“Freedom House’s annual report assessed internet freedom in 65 countries and ranked each country on the basis of the score they received on grounds of obstacles to access, limits on content, and violations of user rights. A high score out of a total 100 indicates greater abuse of net freedom and vice versa. The study saw a decline in internet freedom in the world last year with almost 50 percent of the countries tightening censorship of content, surveillance, or unjust repercussions for social media posts.” said the report in the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration, Dharamshala.
While China had around 733 million internet users, scored 87, the highest for the coverage period, which was an improvement from the previous period. However, the report also noted that the Chinese government’s online crackdown intensified in the lead up to the 19th National Congress, including the introduction of new cybersecurity laws requiring network operators to register Chinese users under their real names, and foreign companies to comply with the government’s move to record Chinese users’ online activities.
Tibetan and Uighur communities have faced regular mobile shutdowns for years, most recently in a Tibetan area of Sichuan Province where officials sought to prevent the spread of news about a Tibetan monk’s self-immolation to protest government repression. During specific occasions such as the Dalai Lama’s birthday, disruptions in the internet connectivity seems never ending.
China has been named “the world’s worst abuser of internet freedom” for the third consecutive year.
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