According to a report released on Wednesday, citizens everywhere saw increasing limits on online freedom from 2022 to 2023. Human rights groups claim the growing impact of artificial intelligence has contributed to the deteriorating circumstances.
According to Freedom House, a nonpartisan organization that conducts research and promotes democracy, political rights, and civil liberties, more than a third of the 70 countries studied saw a decline in their scores related to internet freedom year over year. This marks the 13th year in a row where there has been an overall decline. In sum, 29 nations experienced declines in freedom, as opposed to 20 that experienced increases.
According to the group, the analysis, dubbed “Freedom on the Net,” examined the degree of internet freedom in nations where 88% of the world’s internet users reside. Freedom House rated each of the 70 nations between June 2022 and May 2023 based on 21 factors that covered issues such barriers to access, content restrictions, and violations of user rights. Scores were given on a scale of 100 points.
Overall, there were more nations classified as “not free” (21) than as “free” (17). Only 17% of internet users worldwide were classified as “free” by Freedom House, while the combined 71% were classified as “not free” or “partially free”.
Iran, whose government has a history of internet control, experienced the biggest score decline, falling 5 points to finish third-lowest. Philippines (-4), Belarus, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua (all -3), in close proximity, were the next three nations. The disappointing findings coincide with “a significant potential for harm” that artificial intelligence breakthroughs pose to human rights, according to the paper.
People all across the world struggled against a wave of harsh digital authoritarianism as the novelty of AI chatbots dominated the public’s attention, the research states.
China received a score of 9 out of 100, ranking it last for internet freedom for the ninth year in a row. Crackdowns on free speech were “routine” in the nation, with some citizens receiving prison sentences for posting their opinions online. One such prisoner was Xu Zhiyong, a human rights attorney and civic activist who was given a more than ten-year sentence in April.
However, Myanmar was just one point higher than China, which was followed by Iran. The three countries had by far the lowest scores, with Russia ranked second on the list, 9 points ahead of Iran. According to Freedom House, authoritarian regimes executed persons convicted of online expression-related offences in Myanmar and Iran in particular. Middle Eastern countries earned some of the lowest average scores in the area.
There were some instances of success. For the fifth year running, Iceland received a score of 94 from Freedom House, making it the top nation for internet freedom. One point separated Estonia from the lead. Although Sri Lanka saw the most score improvement over the previous year, it is still only regarded as “partially free.” In contrast, according to Freedom House’s analysis over the previous ten years, The Gambia has made the most progress.
However, the report’s authors raised concerns about AI’s development as a tool for spreading misinformation, saying that networks of pro-government pundits and associated businesses will “undoubtedly” increase their dependence on it to produce material. The entry hurdle to the disinformation industry has been lowered by elements like accessibility and affordability.
According to Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House, this is a crucial issue because current autocrats frequently target human rights online. Democratic states should tighten AI regulation to increase transparency, offer reliable oversight systems, and give human rights protection top priority.
