Society 12:17 05/11/2019 Armenia

Armenia leads Eurasia in Freedom on the Net 2019 report

Armenia has been recognized as the Eurasian leader in the annual Freedom on the Net 2019 report by Freedom House independent human rights watchdog. 

Armenia ranks 8th on the report, surpassing not only its neighbors, but also Japan and South Korea, the Voice of America’s Armenian service reported.

Freedom on the Net is a comprehensive study of internet freedom in 65 countries around the globe, covering 87 percent of the world’s internet users. It tracks improvements and declines in internet freedom conditions each year.

The report’s methodology includes three categories: obstacles to internet access, limits on content and violations of user rights, which tackles surveillance, privacy, and repercussions for online speech and activities, such as imprisonment, extralegal harassment, or cyberattacks.

This year’s report is entitled “The Crisis of Social Media” since, according to its authors, “repressive regimes, elected incumbents with authoritarian ambitions, and unscrupulous partisan operatives have exploited the unregulated spaces of social media platforms, converting them into instruments for political distortion and societal control.”

“While social media have at times served as a level playing field for civic discussion, they are now tilting dangerously toward illiberalism, exposing citizens to an unprecedented crackdown on their fundamental freedoms. Moreover, a startling variety of governments are deploying advanced tools to identify and monitor users on an immense scale. As a result of these trends, global internet freedom declined for the ninth consecutive year in 2019,” the report read.

Of the 65 countries assessed over the past year, in a record 47 countries, law enforcement arrested people for posting political, social, or religious speech online; 40 countries featured advanced social media surveillance programs; and in 38 countries, political leaders employed individuals to shape online opinions, which was also a record high.

Some 33 countries have been on an overall decline since June 2018, compared with 16 that registered net improvements. The biggest score declines took place in Sudan and Kazakhstan followed by Brazil, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.

Iceland became the world’s best protector of internet freedom, having registered no civil or criminal cases against users for online expression during the coverage period.

As costs for surveillance technology declines, more and more government bodies are starting to employ that technology “with little oversight or accountability,” according to the report.

Digital surveillance, which benefits from processes like machine learning, vastly increases the scope and capabilities of government surveillance — and the risks of abuse. The 40 countries in the study that have instituted advanced social media surveillance programs are home to 89 percent of internet users, or nearly 3 billion people.

Armenia, along with Argentina, Canada, Estonia and Iceland, is on the list of 5 unique countries which have taken no steps to restrict internet platforms. The reports of the previous years, expect the 2017 report, also ranked Armenia as a free country, however Armenia placed 8th on the Freedom on the Net report for the first time. 



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:04
Filmmaker: Turkish-Azerbaijani-Armenian trio putting democracy on trial
Filmmaker and publicist Hovhannes Ishkhanyan has condemned the prosecution of opposition figure Edgar Ghazaryan, accusing the Armenian...
16:35
Avetik Chalabyan condemns 'disgraceful' prosecution of opposition figure
Public and political figure Avetik Chalabyan, coordinator of the HayaKve initiative, has denounced the "disgraceful"...
16:13
Snow to persist in parts of Armenia
Snow will persist in some parts of Armenia over the weekend, with blizzards and low visibility expected in the country’s mountainous...
15:35
Archbishop condemns activist Edgar Ghazaryan’s prosecution
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the leader of the Holy Struggle movement, has expressed full support for opposition figure Edgar Ghazaryan,...
15:06
Around 700 Armenian trucks stuck at Russia-Georgia border
Approximately 700 Armenian trucks are stuck in a long que at the Upper Lars checkpoint on the Russia-Georgia border, the Traffic Management...
14:35
Five lawyers to take on activist Edgar Ghazaryan's defense
The Five Human Rights Defenders Initiative will provide legal defense for public and political activist Edgar Ghazaryan, who is facing charges...
14:01
California governor requests nearly $40 billion in wildfire recovery funding
California Gov. Gavin Newsom requested nearly $40 billion in wildfire recovery aid in a letter to members of Congress on Friday, CNN...
13:36
Yerevan residents have rare chance to breathe clean air after heavy snow
The recent abundant snowfall in Yerevan has brought about a positive outcome. After years of breathing polluted air, the residents of the...
13:15
Armenian activist denies charges, demands accountability for prosecutors
Public and political activist Edgar Ghazaryan, former Armenian ambassador to Poland, has rejected the charges against him, demanding...
12:36
Ex-ombudsman slams charges against activist Edgar Ghazaryan
Former Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has lambasted the prosecution of public and political activist Edgar Ghazaryan, calling it an...
12:06
Mkhitaryan among most valuable players aged 34 and older
The football portal Transfermarkt has updated its market valuations for players aged 34 and older, with former Armenian team captain...
11:35
Lawyer: Political activist Edgar Ghazaryan charged for critical remarks
Public and political activist Edgar Ghazaryan has been charged over his critical comments about judges, his lawyer Ruben Melikyan...
11:04
Another Azerbaijani journalist arrested
Baku’s Khatai District Court has remanded journalist Nurlan (Libre) Gahramanli to one month and 15 days in pre-trial detention....
17:06
Expert: Government undermines reputation of Armenian language
Political analyst Menua Soghomonyan, co-founder of the HayaKve initiative, accused Armenia’s current government of failing to prioritize...
16:30
WCC expresses solidarity with Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem facing unjust foreclosure
The World Council of Churches (WCC) on Thursday issued a statement expressing solidarity with the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem in the...
16:03
Armenia sees sharp decline in tourist arrivals
The number of tourists visiting Armenia sharply declined in January this year. It appears that the millions of drams spent on the city’s...
15:35
George Aghjayan to serve as ANCA’s national chairman
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has announced that longtime Armenian American activist and grassroots leader George Aghjayan...
15:00
Baku orders suspension of BBC News Azerbaijani
The Azerbaijani government has ordered the suspension of BBC News' Azerbaijani operation in the capital city, Baku. The BBC said in a...
14:36
Lawyer: Appellate court sends Avinyan's lawsuit against Pastinfo back for retrial
The Civil Court of Appeals on Friday upheld Pastinfo’s appeal in a case involving Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan and the Armenian National...
13:46
Woman attacked with axe in her home in Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter
A woman in her 50s was attacked in her home in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, Magen David Adom announced on Wednesday...
13:25
MP: Azerbaijan using sham trials of Armenian prisoners as 'a deadly weapon' against Armenia
Opposition Pativ Unem faction MP Tigran Abrahamyan has reacted to a recent message from Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian businessman and...
12:45
Americans, Russians reportedly discussed Ukraine war through Swiss side channel
U.S. and Russian participants have quietly met in Switzerland for unofficial discussions about the Ukraine war in recent months, including as...
12:30
MP urges OSCE to send monitoring mission to Baku to observe sham trials of Armenian prisoners
Lilit Galstyan, a member of the Armenian National Assembly who is part of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) delegation, delivered a speech at...
12:06
Number of political prisoners growing in Azerbaijan
According to a report by one of Azerbaijan’s human rights organizations dated December 12, 2024, there were 331 political prisoners in the...
11:45
Chinese team finds new bat coronavirus
A Chinese team has found a new bat coronavirus that carries the risk of animal-to-human transmission because it uses the same human receptor as...
11:32
YSU shifts to online classes amid bad weather
Yerevan State University (YSU) today announced a shift to remote classes due to adverse weather conditions. The university classes typically...
11:10
Russian envoy slightly injured in traffic accident in Yerevan
Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin’s motor vehicle on Thursday had a traffic accident due to heavy snowfall in Yerevan with the...
17:06
Gyumri to hold municipal elections on March 30
At a meeting on Thursday, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) set March 30 as the date for early municipal elections in Gyumri,...
16:35
Analyst: US, Russia need to rebuild trust to resolve global issues
Panorama.am interviewed Sergei Melkonian, a historian, political analyst and research fellow at APRI Armenia, about the statements...
15:35
Hamas returns bodies of 4 Israeli hostages
Hamas on Thursday handed over the bodies of four Israeli hostages held in Gaza — the first time the group has released deceased captives...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}