Internet Freedom Shrinks Across Democracies, Study Finds
Internet freedom is waning not only in authoritarian regimes but increasingly within Western democracies, according to a new report from Freedom House. The Washington-based nonprofit, which tracks global civil liberties, found that 2025 marked the fifteenth consecutive year of decline in online freedom worldwide, according to “Hurriyet Daily News”.
For the first time, the United States and Germany, long viewed as digital strongholds of democracy, registered notable setbacks. The U.S. scored 73 out of 100, its lowest mark since the survey began, slipping three points from last year. The report cited the detention of several non-U.S. citizens under President Donald Trump’s administration for online speech as a key factor.
Germany’s score also fell three points to 74, as researchers pointed to growing self-censorship and an increasingly heavy-handed application of hate-speech and defamation laws.
“We’re seeing worsening repression in authoritarian states,” said Kian Vesteinsson, the report’s co-author, “but what’s new in 2025 is the erosion within democracies themselves.” He added that both North America and Western Europe are showing “a troubling narrowing of civic space” alongside rising restrictions on controversial online content.
The steepest declines were recorded in Kenya, which temporarily shut down internet access amid nationwide protests, and in Venezuela and Georgia, where governments have tightened digital control.
Two nations were downgraded in classification: Serbia, now deemed “partly free,” and Nicaragua, labeled “not free.”
