SL improves in Freedom on the Net 2022 ranking but users restrained during crisis

Sri Lanka has moved up in the global Freedom on the Net 2022 ranking to 48th place from 51 last year, though users found restrictions during the period of June 2021 to May 2022 due to Government attempts to repress online activities related to protests around the economic crisis. Prolonged power cuts in the early part of the year also impacted connectivity.

Sri Lanka, which remains partly free in terms of internet freedom, scored 9 marks out of 25 on obstacles to access; 22 out 35 on limits on content and 17 out of 40 in terms of violations of user rights. 

According to the report, in April 2022, the Government briefly blocked multiple social media and communications platforms. Emergency regulations imposed in April and May sought to curb dissent by barring the spread of purportedly false information, including online.  

Law enforcement officials continued to arrest, detain and intimidate internet users, including journalists, for online posts related to the protests. In addition, hacktivist groups claimed to have hacked Government websites in solidarity with protesters, bringing down the presidential website and breaching some Government databases, though the extent of the attacks remained unclear. 

Globally internet freedom as measured by Freedom on the Net declined for the 12th consecutive year. The sharpest downgrades were documented in Russia, Myanmar, Sudan, and Libya. Following the Russian military’s invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin dramatically intensified its ongoing efforts to suppress domestic dissent and accelerated the closure or exile of the country’s remaining independent media outlets. 

In at least 53 countries, users faced legal repercussions for expressing themselves online, often leading to draconian prison terms. 

Freedom on the Net said China was the world’s worst environment for internet freedom for the eighth consecutive year. Censorship intensified during the 2022 Beijing Olympics and after tennis star Peng Shuai accused a high-ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official of sexual assault. 

The Government continued to tighten its control over the country’s booming technology sector, including through new rules that require platforms to use their algorithmic systems to promote CCP ideology. At the same time, 26 countries recorded internet freedom improvements.  

Despite the overall global decline, civil society organisations in many countries have driven collaborative efforts to improve legislation, develop media resilience and ensure accountability among technology companies. Successful collective actions against internet shutdowns offered a model for further progress on other problems like commercial spyware.