NEW REPORT: Authoritarian Internet Controls Drive 16th Consecutive Year of Decline in Global Internet Freedom

WASHINGTON, DC—Global internet freedom declined for the 16th consecutive year, with conditions deteriorating in 16 of the 38 countries assessed and improving in only 8, according to Freedom on the Net 2026: Seismic Shifts on the Global Internet, a new report released today by Freedom House. Authoritarian efforts to isolate populations from the global internet, expanding age checks for online access, and the weaponization of laws governing AI-generated content created new barriers to free expression and access to information. 

“Agentic AI promises to transform the internet,” said Freedom House Chief Executive Officer Jamie Fly. “Authoritarian actors are already weaponizing AI. We need to ensure that frontline activists and freedom fighters have access to cutting-edge technologies to counter these threats and to accelerate freedom in repressive societies. Democracies need to ensure that efforts to secure democracy and fundamental rights in the AI era do not restrict legitimate expression.”  

Iran experienced the year’s largest decline, joining China and Myanmar as the world’s worst environments for internet freedom. Jordan and Nigeria also suffered significant declines, while Georgia’s status fell from Free to Partly Free as authorities continued to suppress online activism and speech perceived to be critical of the ruling Georgian Dream party. Bangladesh recorded the largest improvement for the second consecutive year, followed by the Gambia, while Estonia was the freest online environment. The report’s key findings include the following:

• Authoritarian governments accelerated efforts to isolate their populations from the global internet. Iranian authorities imposed a nationwide internet shutdown lasting approximately 88 days, the longest recorded in Freedom on the Net’s history, and restructured internet access so that only a privileged few could connect to global platforms. Russian authorities expanded shutdowns and restrictions on virtual private networks while seeking to maintain access to state-approved services. 

• Age-assurance laws introduced new barriers to online access and risks to privacy and security. As of June 2026, policymakers in 10 of the 38 countries assessed had proposed, passed, or implemented age-assurance laws for social media platforms or other nonpornographic online content. Australia and Indonesia implemented social media bans for children under 16, while Turkey’s proposed framework would tie social media accounts to individuals’ real names through a government-run digital identity system. 

• Measures addressing AI-generated content tackled meaningful harms but also raised concerns about censorship. Governments pursued rules on impersonation, harassment, and child protection, but authorities abused some laws to restrict online expression.  

“Authoritarian regimes are reengineering the internet into a system of control, deciding who can connect, what they can see, and whether they can be heard,” said Kian Vesteinsson, author of the report and Freedom House’s deputy director for research. “After 16 years of decline, democracies must lead the fight for a free and open internet. Dictators are investing in keeping people disconnected. We must invest in making censorship fail.” 

The United States’ score remained unchanged, but concerns about online expression persisted. Surveillance and legal penalties for online activity continued to pose challenges to free expression. The TAKE IT DOWN Act’s content-removal provisions took effect in May 2026, an important step against online sexual abuse, though concerns about safeguards against false reports remain. 

The findings point to a need for investment in both access and protection: tools that bypass censorship must reach the people who need them, and those people must be able to connect without exposing themselves to surveillance or attack. The report provides recommendations to address both needs, alongside measures to protect children online without compromising privacy. They include the following: 

• Counter internet shutdowns and strengthen anticensorship tools. Internet service providers should publicly disclose the shutdown orders they receive and commit to challenging orders they consider disproportionate or unlawful. The US government should ensure robust funding for the Open Technology Fund, which supports the development of anticensorship tools tailored to human rights defenders and journalists around the world. 

• Expand satellite connectivity and strengthen digital security. Governments should advocate for access to emergency satellite internet connectivity at the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference in 2027. Donors should continue to support digital security training and rapid-response help lines for journalists and human rights defenders operating in high-risk environments. 

• Safeguard privacy and protect children online. Funders should invest in technical research to develop age-assurance methods that are truly privacy preserving and mitigate cybersecurity threats. Policymakers should strengthen child-specific protections in privacy laws and dedicate additional resources toward addressing online child abuse. 

Freedom on the Net is an annual study of human rights in the digital sphere. This report, the 16th edition, covered developments between June 2025 and May 2026. The project now assesses internet freedom in 38 countries, accounting for about 70.9 percent of the world’s internet users. The report uses a standard methodology to determine each country’s internet freedom score on a 100-point scale, with 21 separate indicators assessing obstacles to access, limits on content, and violations of user rights. 

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Freedom House is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to create a world where all are free. We inform the world about threats to freedom, mobilize global action, and support democracy’s defenders.