Internet freedoms declined for the 15th consecutive year, according to a new Freedom House report that warns governments are rapidly eroding online privacy in the name of safety, regulation, and child protection.
The report finds that 21 of 72 countries attempted to block VPNs or other privacy tools over the past five years, while many democracies are now adopting policies once associated with authoritarian states. Freedom House says this global push against anonymity threatens free expression, whistleblowing, political dissent, and access to information.
Mandatory age-verification laws are emerging as one of the most aggressive drivers of this shift. The UK, several US states, Italy and soon Australia require users to verify their identity to access large portions of the internet. NZ has announced age verification legislation is coming next year.
A recent UK breach compromised 70,000 identity documents from an age-verification provider, a stark example of the risks baked into these systems.
Meanwhile, Vietnam and China now require real-name identification just to post on social media, directly tying online speech to state monitoring.
At the same time, governments across the democratic world are escalating efforts to weaken encryption. Britain issued an order demanding Apple insert a backdoor into iCloud encryption. Some US states are exploring ways to block VPN traffic entirely to enforce their age-verification laws. Europe continues to push versions of the Chat Control bill, which privacy experts say would effectively end private messaging.
“Restrictions on anonymity pose a direct threat to online privacy, free expression, and access to information,” the report says.
Centrist Ltd.