FREEDOM ON THE NET 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS Key Findings..................................................................................................... 1 The Global Drive to Control Big Tech............................................................. 2 The Continued Assault on Internet Freedom................................................ 4 The Promise and Peril of State Regulation.................................................... 11 New laws put free expression online at risk................................................... 13 Forcing companies to hand over user data..................................................... 16 Fostering competition to improve digital rights............................................ 19 Recommendations........................................................................................... 25 Methodology.................................................................................................... 29 Acknowledgements......................................................................................... 36 Tables, Charts, and Graphics Global Internet Population by 2021 FOTN Status.......................................... Global Internet User Stats.................................................................................. Free Expression Behind Bars.............................................................................. Snooping for Sale................................................................................................. Internet Regulation Sweeps the Globe............................................................ Best and Worst Practices for Tech Regulation............................................... Freedom on the Net 2021 Map.......................................................................... Key Internet Controls by Country..................................................................... Global Rankings..................................................................................................... Regional Rankings................................................................................................. 4 6 8 10 12 18 22 24 38 40 This report was made possible by the generous support of Amazon, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Google, the Internet Society, the Lilly Endowment, the New York Community Trust, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), and Verizon. Freedom House is committed to editorial independence. Our donors do not influence the organization’s research priorities, report findings, or policy recommendations. The following people were instrumental in the research and writing of this report: Grant Baker, Cathryn Grothe, Amy Slipowitz, Manisha Vepa, Kian Vesteinsson, and Tessa Weal. Elisha Aaron, David Meijer, Shannon O’Toole, and Tyler Roylance edited the report. This booklet is a summary of findings for the 2021 edition of Freedom on the Net. Narrative reports on the 70 countries assessed in this study can be found on our website at freedomonthenet.org. ON THE COVER Illustration by Mitch Blunt