Restrictions on Free Expression and Access to Information in Times of Change: 2024 in Review

<

div class=”field field–name-body field–type-text-with-summary field–label-hidden”>

<

div class=”field__items”>

<

div class=”field__item even”>

This was an historical year. A year in which elections took place in countries home to almost half the world’s population, a year of war, and collapse of or chaos within several governments. It was also a year of new technological developments, policy changes, and legislative developments. Amidst these sweeping changes, freedom of expression has never been more important, and around the world, 2024 saw numerous challenges to it. From new legal restrictions on speech to wholesale internet shutdowns, here are just a few of the threats to freedom of expression online that we witnessed in 2024.

Internet shutdowns

It is sadly not surprising that, in a year in which national elections took place in at least 64 countries, internet shutdowns would be commonplace. Access Now, which tracks shutdowns and runs the KeepItOn Coalition (of which EFF is a member), found that seven countries—Comoros, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, India, Mauritania, Venezuela, and Mozambique—restricted access to the internet at least partially during election periods. These restrictions inhibit people from being able to share news of what’s happening on the ground, but they also impede access to basic services, commerce, and communications.

Repression of speech in times of conflict

But elections aren’t the only justification governments use for restricting internet access. In times of conflict or protest, access to internet infrastructure is key for enabling essential

[…]
Content was cut in order to protect the source.Please visit the source for the rest of the article.