China and Myanmar Bottom Global Internet Freedom Rankings

China and Myanmar have been ranked as the worst countries for internet freedom, according to Freedom House's 'Freedom on the Net' 2024 report. Both countries scored merely 9 out of 100, citing increased censorship and repression. Meanwhile, global internet freedom continued its 14-year decline.

In a stark assessment of global internet liberties, Freedom House's 2024 'Freedom on the Net' report has positioned China and Myanmar at the lowest rung of internet freedom worldwide. Published on Wednesday, the report evaluated internet freedom from June 2023 to May 2024, highlighting severe obstacles to internet access, stringent content limits, and repeated user rights violations.

The report found both China and Myanmar scored a dismal 9 out of 100, the lowest among all surveyed nations. Notably, China has intensified efforts to isolate its domestic internet, heavily regulating online discourse and blocking external access to official sites. It also penalized VPN users with substantial fines and censored any online dissent, including coverage of activist Sun Lin, who died following alleged police brutality due to his outspoken social media activity.

Myanmar's military regime has escalated its crackdown on digital dissent since its 2021 coup, suppressing pro-democracy movements and imposing a censorship-heavy surveillance state. In May 2024, they introduced advanced technology to block VPNs, further severing residents' access to unrestricted internet. Despite the declines, the report highlighted Iceland as the benchmark for online freedom while recognizing Zambia for notable improvements. New assessments of Chile and the Netherlands also reflected robust human rights protections. The report underscored a troubling trend of decline in internet freedom as protections continue to diminish globally.

(With inputs from agencies.)