Surfshark’s internet censorship yearly recap shows that 4.2 billion people were affected by Internet censorship in 2022 globally.
Asia, said the report, accounted for nearly half (47%) of all new cases.
“More than half of the world’s population was affected by internet censorship last year. Many of these cases involved full internet disruptions on a local or national level. These can be devastating and extremely dangerous, especially during wartime, protests, or violent government repressions. Internet restrictions can make it difficult or even impossible to mobilize people for the defense of democracy, contact loved ones, access news sites, and spread information to the outside world on what’s happening”, says Surfshark spokeswoman Gabriele Racaityte-Krasauske, in a press release.
Asia Continues To Lead By Internet Disruption Count
11 Asian countries imposed new Internet disruptions in 2022, bringing a total of 58 cases.
Africa follows Asia as the second most disruption-intensive region, with 5 countries imposing 13 restrictions.
Burkina Faso, Russia, and Azerbaijan had the longest internet disruptions last year
- Burkina Faso restricted Facebook in January. The restriction continued into 2023.
- Russia’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram disruptions following the invasion of Ukraine are still ongoing. The country has also blocked access to major international news Sites.
- Azerbaijan restricted TikTok in September. The platform remains restricted to this day.
Of all social media platforms, Facebook is the most-hated by autocratic governments & remains highly censored in 2022, said the report. In fact, since 2015, a staggering 46% of the global population has, in some way or another, been affected by government-imposed Facebook restrictions.
The Internet Censorship Tracker was developed by Surfshark in partnership with Internet watchdog NetBlocks. The research tracks partial & complete internet and social media shutdowns in 196 countries & territories from 2015 onwards. For the full yearly ICT recap, please visit the link: https://surfshark.com/blog/internet-censorship-2022.