Against freedom, misinformation is more powerful than censorship on the Internet

The Freedom House NGO looked at the extent of Internet freedom in different countries around the world. Beyond the decline observed in several states, the association was alarmed by the increasing propensity of governments to use propaganda to manipulate public opinion.
What is the most effective way to control information: misinformation or censorship? According to a recent study, it seems that the second option is most often preferred. And unfortunately, this would not only concern dictatorships.

China always last

Freedom House is an American NGO, which is interested in the presence of democracy in the world. In her latest report, she studied the state of freedom on the Internet in 65 countries. And after analysis, the body considers an absence of freedom in almost a third of cases.

If Iceland and Estonia are good students, at the bottom of the ranking, we find Iran and China. It is even in the last place for the fourth year in a row, punishing, in particular, its efforts to stem the protests taking place in Hong Kong.

The United States less and less exemplary

But the report also highlights a new mode of control by the authorities. Freedom House President Mike Abramowitz says, "  Many governments realize that on social media, propaganda works better than censorship  ." As a result, these platforms would have become a breeding ground for misinformation orchestrated by states. By 2018, a dozen of them would not have hesitated to appeal to supporters to circulate distorted information and influence the outcome of a poll. In addition, some 40 governments would also use social networks for surveillance purposes.

Such practices then lead to a decrease in the rating granted by Freedom House. Among the countries where freedom on the Internet has declined the most, we find in particular Sudan, Kazakhstan, Brazil or ... the United States. Although the NGO still places them in a good position, it pointed to certain methods of the US law enforcement agencies, particularly the search of travelers' phones, without a warrant issued by a court.

Let's conclude on a note of hope: Freedom on the Internet has gained ground in 16 countries, including Ethiopia and Lebanon.

Source: TechCrunch