Learn the revelations of an exploratory study that compares country by country the most severe internet restrictions imposed by governments and where citizens can enjoy the greatest freedom online, with Latin America as the protagonist.
As reflected through this article published on the web, a large part of our daily activities today are based on the Internet. Get informed, shop, play, work and so on. However, what is normal for billions of people is a distant longing for others.
It is known that more than 4.1 billion people access the Internet in the world, almost 54% of the total population. However, there are places where the limitations for browsing the Internet are very high and even total.
A recent Comparitech study delved into this situation by comparing country by country to see which ones impose the most severe Internet restrictions and where citizens can enjoy the most freedom online. This includes restrictions or bans on torrents, pornography, social media and VPNs, and severe restrictions or censorship of political media.
“While the usual culprits rank high, some seemingly free countries rank surprisingly high,” said Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate and VPN expert . “With continued restrictions and pending laws, our online freedom is at greater risk than ever.”
The research rated each country on five criteria, each with two points. One point earned if the content (torrents, porn, media, social networks, VPN) is restricted but accessible, and two points if it is completely prohibited. The higher the score, the more censoring.
The 10 worst countries for Internet censorship
1. North Korea (10/10) – There's nothing that North Korea doesn't heavily censor thanks to its internet dominance. Users cannot use social media, watch pornography, or use torrents or VPNs. And all political media published in the country are created by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the only authorized source for publishing news.
2. China (9/10): Pornography, VPNs, and Western social networks are blocked, while political networks are highly restricted. Journalists often face severe prison sentences if they publish anything that goes against the government. New online regulations mean members of the public can be jailed for simply sharing or commenting on news posts. The Great Firewall of China is one of the most advanced web censorship systems in the world. The only point China recovers is for its torrential laws (or lack thereof). Copyright laws are not heavily controlled in China, so technically there is no torrent ban. However, due to China's excessive online censorship, torrent websites are restricted.
3. Russia, Turkmenistan and Iran (8/10): These countries heavily censor political media, but have different laws when it comes to all other areas.
Russia blocks torrent sites and VPNs, but does not completely block pornography or social media. Some major porn sites have been blocked in Russia, but under Russian law, watching porn is not illegal (but producing it is). Some social media sites are also accessible, but these are also heavily controlled (users must register with their mobile phone numbers to eliminate anonymity). However, with Russia's plans to build its own internet, these restrictions could be even more severe.
Iran also blocks VPNs (only government-approved ones are allowed, making them almost useless), but does not completely ban torrents. Pornography is also prohibited, but social media is allowed to a certain extent. The media is highly censored. In contrast, Turkmenistan blocks social media and pornography, but does not have such severe restrictions on the use of torrents and VPNs.
4. Belarus, Turkey, Oman, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates and Eritrea (7/10): These countries all score the same due to very similar approaches to Internet censorship. Pornography is banned/blocked in all of these countries and political media is also heavily censored. Only Pakistan bans torrents and only Eritrea bans social media, but both are free of restrictions for VPNs unlike all other countries that restrict, but do not ban, their use.
Latin America among the least restricted. According to the global list, the countries indicated as the most open and free in this digital era and context do not have a special regional concentration and there is representation from several continents.
Latin America enjoys this particularity with Uruguay, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Chile leading the list , among others, thanks to a score of only one point (restrictions on torrents, mainly). It is closely followed by others such as Nicaragua, El Salvador, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina (with two points).
On the other hand, among the nations that most control and limit access to our region are Cuba with a score of six (6/10) and Venezuela (5/10). In both cases, restrictions on political media and severe censorship are recorded. Cuba makes a difference with the prohibition of pornography.
From Comparitech they point out that the growing number of restrictions in many other countries is very worrying. From potential porn blocs in the UK and Australia to growing political media hostility in the US, online freedom is something we can no longer take for granted.
“Fortunately, VPNs still offer a way for many of us to browse the web privately (and legally). But as censorship becomes increasingly common, more and more countries could join the restricted list, putting citizens' digital privacy at risk,” concludes Bischoff.
