Why is it in the news?

• According to a report by Freedom House, Global Internet freedom has declined for the 13th consecutive year.
• The report, titled ‘Freedom on the Net 2023: The Repressive Power of Artificial Intelligence,‘ highlights the growing use of AI by governments for censorship and disinformation.
• The study covers developments from June 2022 to May 2023 and evaluates Internet freedom in 70 countries, representing 88% of the world’s Internet users.

More about the Report

• Human rights online have deteriorated in 29 countries, with only 20 countries showing improvements.
• Iran experienced a sharp rise in digital repression, including Internet shutdowns and increased surveillance in response to anti-government protests.
• China continues to be ranked as the world’s worst environment for Internet freedom for the ninth consecutive year.
• Myanmar is identified as the world’s second most repressive country for online freedom.
• Legal consequences for online expression were observed in a record 55 countries, with 31 countries imposing widespread arrests and multi-year prison terms for online activity.
• Elections often serve as triggers for digital repression, with incumbent leaders restricting speech and blocking independent news sites to influence the outcome.

What Report says about India

• In India, the central government incorporated censorship, including AI-based moderation tools, into the country’s legal framework.
• India’s Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules require AI-based content moderation for certain types of content that could undermine public order, decency, morality, or the country’s sovereignty and security.
• The government ordered YouTube and Twitter to restrict access to a BBC documentary, leading to automated scanning tools being used to remove related posts.
• The report warns that India’s expanding censorship regime is silencing criticism and independent reporting, creating an uneven playing field as the country prepares for general elections in 2024.
• India engaged in various censorship methods, including Internet connectivity restrictions, blocking social media platforms, blocking websites, and forced content removal.
• India did not engage in VPN blocking but blocked websites hosting political, social, or religious content, disrupted ICT networks, used pro-government commentators to manipulate online discussions, and conducted technical attacks against government critics or human rights organizations.
• On a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 representing the highest digital freedom and 1 representing the worst repression, India scored 50, while Iceland scored the highest with 94, indicating the best climate of Internet freedom.Top of Form

Freedom House

• Freedom House is founded on the core conviction that freedom flourishes in democratic nations where governments are accountable to their people.

• Freedom in the world is Freedom House’s flagship annual report published since 1973. It uses surveys and analysis to tabulate indices around freedom and human rights.

The other publications include

• Freedom on the Net 2021: The Global Drive to control Big Tech to learn how the coronavirus pandemic is fuelling digital repression worldwide.
• Nations in Transit: The Antidemocratic Turn is the only comprehensive, comparative, and multidimensional study of reform in the former Communist states of Europe and Eurasia.