Freedom on the Net

Data source: Freedom House

Go to the original dataset webpage

Description:

Freedom on the Net is a Freedom House project consisting of cutting-edge analysis, fact-based advocacy, and on-the-ground capacity building. It features a ranked, country-by-country assessment of online freedom, a global overview of the latest developments, as well as in depth country reports. Freedom on the Net measures the subtle and not-so-subtle ways that governments and non-state actors around the world restrict our intrinsic rights online. Each country assessment includes a detailed narrative report and numerical scores, based on methodology developed in consultation with international experts. This methodology includes three categories:

  1. Obstacles to Access details infrastructural and economic barriers to access, legal and ownership control over internet service providers, and independence of regulatory bodies;
  2. Limits on Content analyzes legal regulations on content, technical filtering and blocking of websites, self-censorship, the vibrancy/diversity of online news media, and the use of digital tools for civic mobilization;
  3. Violations of User Rights tackles surveillance, privacy, and repercussions for online speech and activities, such as imprisonment, extralegal harassment, or cyberattacks.
    Freedom on the Net is a collaborative effort between a small team of Freedom House staff and an extensive network of local researchers and advisors in 65 countries.

Last updated by source: 2023-09-28

Dataset type: Time-Series
Dataset level: Country

Citation:

When using this dataset, please cite as:
• Allie Funk and Adrian Shahbaz and Kian Vesteinsson. (2023). Freedom on the net 2023: The repressive power of artificial intelligence. Freedom House. freedomonthenet.org



Variables in this dataset:

   Freedom on the Net: Limits on content
QoG Code: fhn_fotnloc

Limits on Content: Analyzes legal regulations on content, technical filtering and blocking of websites, self-censorship, the vibrancy/diversity of online news media, and the use of digital tools for civic mobilization. The score goes from 0 to 100, where 100 represents worst outcomes. Please note that the values have changed from previous versions of QoG data given that Freedom House now provides a document with the vlaues for all years and these are different for the first years of the score.

More about this variable
   Freedom on the Net: Obstacles to Access
QoG Code: fhn_fotnota

Obstacles to Access: Details infrastructural and economic barriers to access, legal and ownership control over internet service providers, and independence of regulatory bodies. The score goes from 0 to 100, where 100 represents worst outcomes. Please note that the values have changed from previous versions of QoG data given that Freedom House now provides a document with the vlaues for all years and these are different for the first years of the score.

More about this variable
   Freedom on the Net: Score
QoG Code: fhn_fotnsc

Freedom on the Net, Score: Measures the subtle and not-so-subtle ways that governments and non-state actors around the world restrict our intrinsic rights online by looking at Obstacles to Access, Limits on Content and Violations of User Rights. The scores are based on a scale of 0 to 100 with 0 representing the best level of freedom on the net progress and 100 the worst. Please note that the values have changed from previous versions of QoG data given that Freedom House now provides a document with the vlaues for all years and these are different for the first years of the score.

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   Freedom on the Net: Status
QoG Code: fhn_fotnst

Freedom on the Net, Status: 1. Free 2. Partly Free 3. Not Free

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   Freedom on the Net: Violation of Users' rights
QoG Code: fhn_fotnvur

Violations of User Rights: Tackles surveillance, privacy, and repercussions for online speech and activities, such as imprisonment, extralegal harassment, or cyberattacks. The score goes from 0 to 100, where 100 represents worst outcomes. Please note that the values have changed from previous versions of QoG data given that Freedom House now provides a document with the vlaues for all years and these are different for the first years of the score.

More about this variable