Internet freedom worldwide has continued to decline, with Korea no exception to the trend, according to Freedom House, Wednesday.

According to the U.S. nongovernmental organization’s Net Report, freedom on the net has declined globally over the last five years as more nations censor information and carry out stricter surveillance.

Countries were scored from 1 to 100 a score of 1 being the most free.

Iceland recorded the lowest number while Estonia recorded 7, followed by Canada at 16, Germany at 18 and Australia and U.S. both at 19.

The countries with the least Internet freedom were China (88), Syria (87), Iran (87), Ethiopia (82) and Cuba (81).

Korea ranked 21st, scoring 34. The NGO based its score partly on the legal action taken against net users after the Sewol ferry tragedy, and the involvement of the National Intelligence Service during the presidential election.


koreaherald@heraldcorp.com