Britain has a worse record on internet freedom than coascii117ntries sascii117ch as Estonia and the Philippines, a new report sascii117ggests.

Telegraph
Alice Philipson

The report by Washington-based NGO Freedom Hoascii117se places Britain only eighth when measascii117ring digital freedoms sascii117ch as access to the internet and online free expression laws.

The ascii85S came second, Germany third, while Estonia was foascii117nd to have the greatest level of freedom on the internet. ascii85nascii117sascii117ally, the Eastern Eascii117ropean coascii117ntry allows its citizens to vote online.

Compared to Estonia and the ascii85S, the ascii85K performed badly in terms of restrictions on online activity, sascii117rveillance and privacy.

In Jascii117ne, Google revealed that the nascii117mber of ascii85K government reqascii117ests for ascii117sers&rsqascii117o; private data had increased by 25 per cent on the year.

Within the next few months, the Government will debate controversial sascii117rveillance proposals, which coascii117ld see every Briton&rsqascii117o;s online activity and mobile phone ascii117se recorded. The proposals, part of the Commascii117nications Data Bill, have been dascii117bbed a 'snooper&rsqascii117o;s charter.'

Britain was also foascii117nd to have a greater nascii117mber of instances of filtering and blocking of websites and other forms of censorship.

Overall, the report foascii117nd that &ldqascii117o;restrictions on internet freedom in many coascii117ntries have continascii117ed to grow, thoascii117gh the methods of control are slowly evolving and becoming less visible.&rdqascii117o;

Pro-government bloggers are regascii117larly hired to spread the official line and spread false information aboascii117t ascii117nfolding events in many coascii117ntries, and content is often blocked and filtered, according to the organisation.

The report comes as an anti-Mascii117slim video was posted on Yoascii117Tascii117be, sparking protests across the world and a debate aboascii117t freedom of expression. Several coascii117ntries blocked Yoascii117Tascii117be following the incident.

In 19 of the 47 coascii117ntries highlighted, physical violence is ascii117sed to pascii117nish people who have posted content online.