📣 NEW: #FreedomOnTheNet 2024 is now LIVE! freedomhouse.org/report/free… Global internet freedom declined for the 14th consecutive year as voters were forced to make major decisions about their future while navigating a censored, distorted, and unreliable information space. Protections for human rights online diminished in 27 of the 72 countries covered by FOTN24, and just 18 earned score improvements. Myanmar and China tied as the world’s worst environment for internet freedom, while Iceland maintained its status as the freest. People were physically attacked or killed in retaliation for their online activities in a record high of at least 43 countries. Users also faced arrest for nonviolent expression in three-quarters of the countries covered by FOTN, with some receiving prison sentences of 10+ years. Censorship and content manipulation were combined to sway elections. Voters in at least 25 of the 41 FOTN countries that held or prepared for nationwide elections contended with a censored information space, while in at least 21 countries progovernment commentators manipulated online information to stoke doubt in election integrity and democratic institutions broadly. More than half of these 41 countries took steps to safeguard information integrity, with mixed results. Examples from South Africa, Taiwan, and the EU—which all prioritized transparency, civil society expertise, democratic oversight, and international norms—served as the most promising models. Internet freedom is a pillar of modern democracy. Our research indicates that online censorship and manipulation are growing ever more extreme, requiring a renewed and sustained commitment to internet freedom lest we hasten democracy’s global decline. Explore more from #FreedomOnTheNet 2024: freedomhouse.org/report/free…