Georgia among countries with most Internet freedom, survey

A United-States (US)-based rights watchdog says Georgia is in the top group of countries with Internet freedom.

In the latest Freedom on the Net 2014 report, released on December 4, Freedom House stated Georgia was one of 19 countries regarded as ‘free’ in terms of Internet freedom. Georgia’s latest ranking was 26 points.

Countries which gained 0-30 points were ranked as ‘free’, countries with 31-61 points were ranked as ‘partly free’ and countries with 61-100 points were regarded as ‘not free’.

While Georgia’s neighbour Armenia also ranked as "free,” other neighbours Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey were among those that were recognized in the "partly free” category.  

Iceland topped the Internet Freedom list, followed by Estonia and Canada, while Iran ranked bottom of the list.

The report, which covered the period between May 2013 and May 2014, assessed the level of Internet and digital-media freedom in 65 countries, and each received a score from 0 for the most free to 100 for the least free.

The report data showed of the 65 countries assessed, 36 had experienced negative trends since May 2013.

Specifically for Georgia, the report stated the country’s new rules for the nomination of candidates to the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC) – the country’s main media and communications regulatory body that were implemented in October 2013 – had the goal of improving the commission’s legitimacy and independence.

However, despite more people in Georgia having Internet than in the past (43 percent), obstacles such as high prices for services, inadequate infrastructure and low speed of internet continued to remain, particularly in rural areas or for people with low incomes.

In September 2013, a new online Government portal was launched that allowed citizens to access resources and request public information.

"However, not all government institutions have expressed a willingness to provide citizens with feedback; consequently, one-way interaction prevails on the online pages of these agencies,” stated the report.

Globally, the report data showed Internet freedom around the world has deteriorated for the fourth consecutive year, with the steepest declines noted in Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey.