Internet freedom eroded worldwide for the 15th consecutive year, with even established democracies like the United States and Germany joining authoritarian regimes in tightening online controls, according to Freedom House’s annual Freedom on the Net report released Thursday.
Covering developments from June 2024 to May 2025 across 72 countries—representing 89% of global internet users—the report documented worsening repression in authoritarian states, where governments increasingly view digital curbs as essential to retaining power. Co-author Kian Vesteinsson noted: “Much more specific to 2025, we’ve seen conditions in democracies declining… a trend toward closing civic space in some countries, and in others deepening restrictions on hateful or problematic content.”
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Suppression of mass protests, deepening censorship, and threats to free speech fueled the 15th consecutive year of decline in global internet freedom.
Conditions for rights online deteriorated in 27 of the 72… pic.twitter.com/5AfPH49wgn
— Freedom House (@freedomhouse) November 13, 2025
The US plunged to its lowest-ever score of 73/100 (down three points), cited for detentions of non-citizens over online expression on Israel—challenged in courts—and broader surveillance expansions under the Trump administration. Germany dropped to 74 (minus three), due to self-censorship and stringent hate speech enforcement, including a suspended jail sentence for a far-right editor’s manipulated social media image. The Trump administration has critiqued Germany’s free speech record, rooted in its post-Nazi safeguards.
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Sharpest declines hit Kenya (internet shutdown amid protests), Venezuela, and Georgia. Serbia was downgraded to “partly free”; Nicaragua to “not free.” Bangladesh registered the largest gain, easing restrictions post-student revolt.
Arrests for online expression reached a record high, with 57 countries reporting cases on social, political, or religious topics. The report urges tech firms to resist encryption erosion and governments to prioritize open digital ecosystems.
Founded during World War II, Freedom House—historically US-funded but independent—faced staff cuts after Trump slashed support for rights groups.
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