Freedom on the Net score in Russia 2023

Russia received an index score of 21 out 100 in the annual Freedom on the Net (FOTN) ranking by Freedom House in 2023. In the subcategory dedicated to violations of user rights, the country's score was 5 out of 40. The country's 'sovereign internet' policy was considered an obstacle to users' freedom. Furthermore, bans of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by the government following the invasion of Ukraine lowered the country's performance in the ranking. To compare, the FOTN score of Belarus was 25 out of 100.

Freedom on the Net score in Russia in 2023, by indicator

Characteristic	Index score
Total score	21/100
Obstacles to access	10/25
Limits on content	5/35
Violations of user rights	6/40

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Release date

October 2023

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Region

Russia

Survey time period

2023

Supplementary notes

The source specified the following information:
"Freedom on the Net measures the subtle and not-so-subtle ways that governments and non-state actors around the world restrict our intrinsic rights online. Each country assessment includes a detailed narrative report and numerical score, based on methodology developed in consultation with international experts. This methodology includes three categories:
Obstacles to Access details infrastructural and economic barriers to access, legal and ownership control over internet service providers , and independence of regulatory bodies;
Limits on Content analyzes legal regulations on content, technical filtering and blocking of websites, self-censorship, the vibrancy/diversity of online news media, and the use of digital tools for civic mobilization;
Violations of User Rights tackles surveillance, privacy, and repercussions for online speech and activities, such as imprisonment, extralegal harassment, or cyberattacks.
Based on the score, Freedom House assigns the following internet freedom ratings:
Scores 100-70 = Free
Scores 69-40 = Partly Free
Scores 39-0 = Not Free."
The methodology is provided on the source's web page.

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