15 Nations With Highest Internet Freedom
#10 South Africa
Digital media freedom is generally respected in South Africa. Political content is not censored; bloggers and online content creators are not prosecuted for their online activities. Nevertheless the status of the country’s internet freedom was threatened by two proposed legislations in 2012, the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill, which could potentially legalize the bulk monitoring of internet communications, and the Protection of State Information Bill, which would make it illegal to publish and access certain state information, affecting the traditional and digital media, bloggers, and internet users.
#9 Argentina
The first commercial use of internet in Argentina began in 1991, though the internet was been there since 1980, mainly it is used in academic studies. Since then there is steady increase in use of internet, but since 2009, it got accelerated thanks to the government policies to improve services and expand broadband connections throughout the country. The countries legal framework and independent courts generally protect online freedom both in law and practice. Nevertheless, several court decisions in the year 2010 and 2011 restricted access to websites claiming or intellectual property rights violations that led to accidental blocking of an entire blog-hosting platform. The rulings drew criticism from freedom of expression advocates and international firms like Google, and some were subsequently overturned by higher courts.
