New report: The internet has never been less free and AI is making it worse

Globally, internet freedom has never been lower, and the number of countries that have blocked websites for political, social, and religious speech has never been higher. Also, the number of countries that arrested people for online expression reached a record high, according to a report released last week by human rights advocacy group Freedom House.

Additionally, the report shows that governments in 16 countries are using generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) to manipulate conversations and automatically censor what’s online.  Governments in Pakistan, Nigeria and the United States have used generative AI over the past year to exert increased control over the internet.

Further reading: ‘How to fight for internet freedom’, MIT Technology Review

Freedom on the Net 2023 Scores
You can view a list of scores given to each of the 70 countries included in Freedom House’s report HERE.