Freedom on the Net 2018: Georgia Remains among Free Countries
The United States-based non-governmental organization Freedom House has released its 2018 Freedom on the Net report, in which Georgia's ranking remains among the free countries with 25 points.
Although Georgia has the best freedom rating in the region, compared to the last year’s report, its position dropped by one point in 2018.
The organization says that Internet access and usage continues to grow in the country.
“Georgians freely use social media tools to organize themselves and be engaged in political and social events. However, unreliable and politically biased content, including anti-Western propaganda, also proliferated online,” the report reads.
Freedom on the Net provides analytical reports and numerical scores for 65 countries worldwide. Assigning scores allows for comparative analysis among the countries surveyed and facilitates an examination of trends over time. The accompanying country reports provide narrative detail to support the scores.
The countries were chosen to provide a representative sample with regards to geographical diversity and economic development, as well as varying levels of political and media freedom.
Based on the score, Freedom House assigns the following internet freedom ratings:
- Scores 0-30 = Free
- Scores 31-60 = Partly Free
- Scores 61-100 = Not Free
The report says out of the 65 countries, 26 experienced a deterioration in internet freedom. Almost half of all declines were related to elections.
“Citing fake news, governments curbed online dissent: At least 17 countries approved or proposed laws that would restrict online media in the name of fighting “fake news” and online manipulation,” the report reads.
By Thea Morrison