By Tenzin Dedan
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 6: Global internet freedom continues to decline for a 13th consecutive year, Freedom House reports in its annual internet freedom report. This report, which examined 70 countries representing 88 percent of the global internet user population, found that 55 countries tried to criminalize individuals for expressing themselves online, an indication of the global decline in democracy.
China scored just 9 on the free internet index, earning the dismal distinction of having the least free internet environment for the ninth consecutive year. The report outlined how crackdowns on free expression had become “routine” in the country, with several citizens facing imprisonment for sharing their views online. As an example, in April, prominent human rights lawyer and civic activist Xu Zhiyong received a prison sentence of more than ten years.
China’s use of generative AI chatbots, such as Baidu’s Ernie Bot and Alibaba’s Tongyi Qianwen, also came under scrutiny. The Chinese government has demanded that these chatbots abide by tight content regulations, with a focus on encouraging “truth, accuracy, objectivity, and diversity” of training data. Consequently, on sensitive issues like Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Tiananmen Square, these chatbots either parrot state propaganda or remain silent.
The manipulation of AI chatbots in China takes place against a broader backdrop of internet repression, where journalists and critics are imprisoned, and critical content is systematically erased from the internet. Kian Vesteinsson, a senior research analyst for technology and democracy at Freedom House, stated, “The Chinese people live under a system of censorship and surveillance that is more extreme than anywhere else in the world.”
In response to these allegations, the spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington denied the existence of Internet repression, stating, “China’s Internet is free, open, and orderly,” asserting that it is legitimate for China, as a sovereign state, to manage the internet according to the law, ensuring the rights and interests of citizens and companies.
While China retained its title as the worst environment for internet freedom, Myanmar came dangerously close to surpassing it. The report highlighted that the largest decline in internet freedom this year occurred in Iran, followed by the Philippines, Belarus, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.
