Internet remains tightly controlled in Uzbekistan - Freedom House

AKIPRESS.COM - The internet remains tightly controlled in Uzbekistan, though the coverage period saw a slight opening of the space for free expression online, according to the Freedom on the Net report released by Freedom House. Notably, access was restored to the websites of many (but not all) international news media and human rights organizations, marking the end of a nearly 15-year policy of blocking independent, critical voices.
"This change comes as part of Uzbekistan's cautious liberalization, which began following the 2016 death of strongman ruler Islam Kasimov. His successor, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, still presides over one of the most repressive countries in Eurasia. As the crackdown on Islamic bloggers during the coverage period demonstrates, the Uzbek government continues to violate the digital rights of its citizens. Reports of torture and other ill-treatment remain common, although highly publicized cases of abuse have led to dismissals and prosecutions for some officials. Despite some high-profile releases, the government still holds numerous prisoners on political or religious grounds," the report reads.
Rates of internet penetration continue to rise in Uzbekistan. Internet access is based primarily on asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) technology. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that internet access was available to 79.9 percent of households as of 2018, though only 52.3 percent of the population uses the internet. Users increasingly access the internet through their mobile devices, with the number of mobile internet users reaching 20 million in April 2018 (in a country of 32.9 million people). That year, the ITU estimated Uzbekistan's mobile broadband penetration rate at 62.4 percent, while the country's fixed broadband penetration rate was just 12.7 percent.
The government has broad powers to punish expression online and monitors social media routinely. Authorities temporarily detained 11 bloggers and charged them with administrative penalties for posting opinions critical of the government's tight control over religious life. Later, two of them were detained by the SGB and charged with possessing "extremist" articles. Progovernment trolls maintain a fake news website to harass human rights activists. The government's dealings with foreign companies supplying surveillance equipment continues to lack transparency.
Freedom House studied 65 countries of the world where 87% of internet users live. 40 of 65 countries surveyed by Freedom House use programs to track social media users. On the whole, the governments of various countries began to use internet and social networks more often to watch after their citizens and monitor their behavior on the net and manipulate election results.
Rankings of some of the countries on freedom of internet:
1.Iceland
2. Estonia
3. Canada
4. Germany
5. Australia
6. UK
7. U.S.
8. Armenia
19. Georgia
25. Kyrgyzstan
32. Ukraine
45. Azerbaijan
48. Belarus
50. Kazakhstan
51. Russia
58. Uzbekistan
65. China.