Levels of online freedom in the UK are getting worse, according to a new study.
Although the UK still offers more online freedom than most countries, according to the study of 37 nations by the UN-funded Freedom House, the UK has slipped since the last report in 2009.
The report cites events such as the conviction of the man who jokingly threatened to blow up Robin Hood airport in Doncaster as evidence of the UK’s increasing censure of online activity.
The IWF’s blocking and removal actions are not transparent, the blocking criteria lack clarity, and the internal appeals process is inadequate
The report logs other signs of Big Brother. “Two students, one of whom was taking a course on the subject, were detained in 2008 under the Terrorism Act of 2000 for downloading material deemed to be terrorist in nature,” Freedom House claims.
It also cites the Metropolitan Police asking cybercafe owners to “voluntarily monitor their users’ activities as part of the antiterrorism effort,” as a cause for concern.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which compiles a blacklist of child abuse sites for ISPs to block, also comes in for criticism for its methods.
“The IWF’s blocking and removal actions are not transparent, the blocking criteria lack clarity, and the internal appeals process is inadequate,” the report states. “There is no judicial or governmental oversight.”
League table
The UK comes fifth in the table of 37 countries monitored by the report. Estonia tops the table of internet freedom, while Iran is rated as the most restrictive nation.
“Since the protests that followed the disputed presidential election of 12 June 2009, the Iranian authorities have waged an active campaign against internet freedom, employing extensive and sophisticated methods of control that go well beyond simple content filtering,” the report claims.
“These include tampering with internet access, mobile-telephone service, and satellite broadcasting; hacking opposition and other critical websites; monitoring dissenters online and using the information obtained to intimidate and arrest them; ordering blogging service providers inside Iran to remove ‘offensive’ posts or blogs; and trying to fill the information vacuum created by these measures with propaganda and misinformation.”
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