In recent years, social media and messaging apps have become hugely popular as safe havens for people to express their views without fear of outside interference. The Arab Spring was an obvious example of this but people in many countries with authoritarian regimes are still concerned about openly expressing their political views online.
According to the latest edition of the Reuters Digital News Report, 65 percent of people in Turkey are fearful that expressing their political views could land them in hot water with the country's authorities. Turkey experienced a failed coup two years ago where opponents of President Erdoğan were imprisoned and media freedom was severely curtailed.
Concern is also high in Malaysia where new laws could result in someone peddling fake news getting jailed for up to six years. Even though such concerns are far lower in the United States, nearly a quarter of respondents still said they fear political expression could lead to trouble with the authorities.
Where Expressing Your Political Views Can Get You Jailed
Politics
Description
This chart shows the share concerned that expressing political views online could cause trouble with authorities.
