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ARE THE DAYS OF online freedom numbered? Screen grab from YouTube (TechfluffTV) <\/p>\n
WASHINGTON, USA - Online freedom has suffered setbacks in many countries but also some gains amid the Arab Spring uprisings and political upheaval in parts of the world, a new study showed. <\/p>\n
The report by the research group Freedom House found that 20 countries \"experienced a negative trajectory since January 2011\" as authorities used newer, more sophisticated controls to quell dissent on the Internet. <\/p>\n
\"The findings clearly show that threats to Internet freedom are becoming more diverse,\" said Sanja Kelly, project director at Freedom House and co-author of the report released Monday covering the period from January 2011 to May 2012. <\/p>\n
\"As authoritarian rulers see that blocked websites and high-profile arrests draw local and international condemnation, they are turning to murkier but no less dangerous methods for controlling online conversations.\" <\/p>\n
The study found that Estonia had the highest level of online freedom among the 47 countries examined, while the United States ranked second. <\/p>\n
Iran, Cuba and China received the lowest scores and 10 other countries received a ranking of \"not free\" Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Bahrain and Syria. <\/p>\n
The worst declines, according to the report, were in Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan, reflecting \"intensified censorship, arrests and violence against bloggers.\" <\/p>\n
It said online freedom was also hurt in Mexico \"in the context of increasing threats of violence from organized crime,\" and in Ethiopia, \"possibly reflecting a government effort to establish more sophisticated controls before allowing access to expand.\" <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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