China holds last position on the 'Internet Freedom Index'; Taiwan holds 5th: Report

In the internet freedom index, China for the seventh consecutive year has taken the last spot. Taiwan has occupied the fifth position in the internet freedom index. According to a report by ANI, the island nation which marked its entry for the first time in Freedom House's 'Freedom on the Net' scored 80 out of a maximum of 100. 

China stands last among internet freedom index

ANI cited Taiwan News' report and said that Taiwan has taken the fifth spot despite facing constant cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns from China. While Taiwan scored 80 in internet freedom, China has got a score of 10. The report mentioned that China was the "world's worst abuser of internet freedom." Reportedly, China was also criticised for the rules regarding "draconian prison terms for online dissent, independent journalism, and even ordinary daily communication."

Freedom House also criticised China for censorship of information related to coronavirus, ANI siad citing Taiwan News report. As per the report, cyber crimes have been on the rise across the globe. Many countries have been focused on the increase in threat of cyber crimes. The report mentioned that Taiwan has been facing both military intrusions into the airspace and cyberattacks. Taiwan authorities have asserted that they have been able to defend against the rise in attacks. 

As per the Freedom House report, the Chinese government has "become increasingly repressive" in recent years. The report mentioned that the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has tightened its control over the state bureaucracy, the media, online speech, religious groups, universities, businesses, and civil society associations. The report further stated that the Chinese authorities had censored calls for an independent investigation into the origin of the COVID and criticism of Chinese-produced Coronavirus vaccines.

New restrictions have also been enforced on online self-publishing in China. They require administrators of independently operated social media accounts to take permissions to post and to refrain from commenting on a list of restricted topics. The Freedom House report stated that the government passed new laws that strictly regulate the ways that Chinese tech companies collect, store, and share users data. The authorities even investigated several companies for allegedly misusing personal information. 

Inputs from ANI

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