The US-based civil society organization Freedom House has released its annual Freedom on the Net report, which shows that global internet freedom has been in decline for 15 consecutive years. According to the findings, online conditions worsened in 27 of the 72 countries evaluated, while 17 countries recorded improvements.
With a score of 31 out of 100, Turkey remains in the category of “Not Free” and, as in previous years, ranks 56th out of 72 countries. Turkey also placed last among the European countries included in the study.
Restrictions on Internet Freedom in Turkey
The report states that internet freedom in Turkey continues to be under threat. Although the number of users receiving long prison sentences for their online posts has decreased compared to last year, restrictions have persisted.
Freedom House highlights the recent ban on access to the X account of imprisoned Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s Presidential Candidate Office, citing “national security” and “public order” as justification. His personal account had also been restricted previously.
The report notes that following İmamoğlu’s detention on March 19, authorities throttled access to social media platforms during nationwide protests and frequently sought court orders to block websites or remove online content. It also emphasizes ongoing disinformation campaigns by pro-government accounts and the investigations and trials faced by journalists, activists and ordinary users due to their posts.
In addition, the report cites the nine-day blocking of Instagram by Turkey’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) in August 2024.
Score Declines in Germany and the United States
The countries with the highest levels of internet freedom were Iceland, Estonia and Chile, while Iran, China and Myanmar ranked at the bottom.
Germany’s score fell by three points to 74, with Freedom House pointing to legal actions by politicians against critics, threats from far-right groups and cyberattacks linked to Russia as contributing factors.
The United States also dropped three points, reaching its lowest score ever at 73. The report cites instances during the Trump administration in which non-US citizens were detained for their online speech, as well as deportations linked to posts about Israel, as examples of declining internet freedom.