Freedom House TO STIFLE DEMOCRACY, SILENCE SPEECH To StifleFREE Democracy, Silence Free Speech Of all the indicators tracked by Freedom in the World, media freedom and freedom of Of all the indicators tracked by Freedom thedeclined World, the media and over freedom of personal personal expressionin have mostfreedom precipitously the past 17 years. expression have declined the most precipitously over the past 17 years. ATTACKS ON MEDIA FREEDOM The number of countries and territories receiving the lowest score for media freedom has ballooned from 14 in 2005 to 33 in 2022.* In 2022, free and independent media came under attack in 157 countries and territories worldwide. Types of attacks on media freedom include: • Criminal prosecution of journalists • Extrajudicial violence against journalists • Adoption of laws that limit media independence • Censorship and blocking of critical outlets RESTRICTING PERSONAL EXPRESSION The number of countries and territories receiving the lowest score for freedom of personal expression more than doubled between 2005 and 2022.* In 2022, authorities or powerful figures in 109 countries and territories took steps to restrict free speech and discussion among ordinary citizens. Types of restrictions on personal expression include: • Criminal penalties for offline or online speech that is protected under international human rights standards • Violent reprisals for such protected speech • Use of surveillance to monitor protected private speech * These countries and territories received a score* These of 0countries on a 0–4 scale,received witha 0 representing degree ofdegree freedom. and territories score of 0 on a 0–4 scale,the with 0least representing the least of freedom. This infographic is from the Freedom in the World 2023 report by freedomhouse.org No country can match the scale and sophistication of China’s surveillance state, in which residents’ activities are invasively monitored by public security cameras, urban grid managers, and automated systems that detect suspicious and banned behavior, including innocuous expressions of ethnic and religious identity. Workers at private digital platforms in China are required to censor an ever-changing list of prohibited terms and to notify authorities about users who dare to criticize the CCP. Those identified as dissidents can face consequences including forced disappearance and torture. But surveillance has also chilled freedom of expression in countries rated Free and Partly Free. Technology companies are generally required to maintain a log of their users’ online activities, and in many countries, they must share it with authorities through a process that lacks judicial oversight and guardrails against abuse. The growing and unregulated global market for commercial spyware has enabled infringements on the right to private expression that often stretch across international borders. Rather than collecting data or intercepting traffic at fixed points in the telecommunications infrastructure, spyware targets a victim’s smartphone or other electronic device regardless of its location, and allows the capture of phone records, contact lists, geolocation data, keyboard strokes, and even camera and microphone inputs. The Pegasus spyware product has been found on devices in France, Hungary, India, Israel, Mexico, and Poland. Victims included journalists and politicians, while the perpetrators remained unknown and unaccountable for their abuses. These pernicious encroachments on freedom of expression pose an obvious threat to democracy. While professional journalists and media outlets disseminate information, ensure transparency, and hold the powerful to account, the freedom of personal expression reinforces individual autonomy and facilitates discussion of differing opinions. It is also crucial to fostering associations and communities within a larger society, including those based on ethnic, cultural, sexual, gender, and religious identities. The denial of press freedom and freedom of personal expression bolsters authoritarian control by cutting citizens off from accurate information and, just as importantly, from one another. FreedomHouse.org 15