The Freedom on the Net Index

Part of the Freedom on the Net Report, the index is a ranked assessment of online freedom. The report and index are compiled and published by Freedom House, a U.S.-based watchdog organization dedicated to the promotion of freedom and democratic principles around the world.

Freedom House was founded in 1941 by prominent American business and labor leaders, journalists, academics and former government officials.

What’s the approach?

According to Freedom House, the 65 countries included in the index were chosen to provide a representative sample with regards to geographical diversity and economic development, as well as varying levels of political and media freedom. Since the countries selected for the report contain 88 percent of the global internet population, the project analyzes a majority of users around the globe.

The index is based on a scale from 0 to 100. The higher the score, the worse the situation regarding internet and digital media freedom. Freedom House uses the categories of "Free" (overall country score between 0 and 30), "Partly Free" (31-60) and "Not Free" (61 to 100).

The assessment is based on a methodology developed in consultation with international experts. It consists of 21 questions, including nearly 100 subquestions divided into three categories: Obstacles to Access (up to 25 points), Limits on Content (up to 35 points) and Violations of User Rights (up to 40 points).

How is the index compiled?

For each country, researchers submit their draft scores, which are then reviewed at regional meetings. Local experts, scholars, and civil-society representatives from each country are later invited to discuss and adjust the scores as needed. 

After the regional and country consultations, Freedom House conducts a final review of all scores to ensure their comparative reliability and integrity. In total, more than 70 researchers contributed to the assessment (2016), and nearly all were based in the countries they analyzed, according to the Freedom House website. 

And how is it financed?

The Freedom of the Net Report is currently funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Human Rights and Labor (DRL), Google, the Schloss Family Foundation, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Facebook, the Internet Society, Yahoo and Twitter. 

More detailed information on the Freedom on the Net Index methodology is available here.

More links are provided in the Media Freedom Navigator resources section.