Freedom of internet is a hoax

According to a report, 40 out of 56 countries have instituted advanced social media surveillance programmes

If you thought that your social media is free of manipulating content and government surveillance then you’re in for a surprise.

A recent report published by Freedom on the Net, an independent monitoring organisation, suggests that social media is not free from deceiving content and government surveillance.

Around 40 out of 56 countries "have instituted advanced social media surveillance programmes."

Cyber-security and its objectives 

In terms of internet freedom, China ranked the lowest as a free country; where the communist parties browse and flag problematic content.

Following the list are Russia and Egypt that are ranked as “not free” in fact in Iran there are 42,000 army men that monitor the online speech of its people.

The research further suggests that 89% of internet users were under some sort of surveillance programme which is quite an overwhelming number.

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However, despite the US being listed as a country that is free from internet censorship, the report highlights that other countries like Phillippine have been traveling to America to be trained by the US Army personnel on how to effectively monitor social media.

Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), has also made its way to the United States in April 2019 to learn how to use “Location-Based Social Network Monitoring System Software.”

Therefore, it is not just authoritarian regimes that have been violating privacy; even free nations have over the years kept a close eye on what individuals are up to on social media despite endorsing the idea of freedom of the internet.

This article was originally published on Mashable.