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Freedom on the Net 2023: The Repressive Power of Artificial Intelligence
webCredibility Rating
4/5
High(4)High quality. Established institution or organization with editorial oversight and accountability.
Rating inherited from publication venue: Freedom House
Relevant to AI safety discussions about misuse risks and geopolitical dimensions of AI deployment; illustrates how current AI systems are already being used in ways that threaten human autonomy and democratic institutions at scale.
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Importance: 62/100organizational reportanalysis
Summary
Freedom House's 2023 Freedom on the Net report examines how authoritarian governments are deploying AI tools to surveil, censor, and repress citizens across the globe. It documents how AI-powered surveillance and information controls are spreading from pioneer countries to others, threatening human rights and democratic freedoms. The report highlights how these technologies enable more efficient and scalable repression with reduced accountability.
Key Points
- •Authoritarian regimes are increasingly using AI-powered surveillance, facial recognition, and content moderation to suppress dissent and monitor citizens.
- •AI-driven censorship tools are being exported from leading repressive states to dozens of other governments, accelerating the global spread of digital authoritarianism.
- •AI enables more scalable and efficient repression, reducing the human labor previously needed to monitor and suppress political opposition.
- •Disinformation campaigns are being amplified by AI tools, making it harder for citizens to access reliable information and organize resistance.
- •Democratic governments face challenges in countering AI-enabled repression without adopting similarly invasive surveillance capabilities themselves.
Cited by 3 pages
| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| AI Surveillance and Regime Durability Model | Analysis | 64.0 |
| AI Authoritarian Tools | Risk | 91.0 |
| AI Value Lock-in | Risk | 64.0 |
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The Repressive Power of Artificial Intelligence | Freedom House
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Freedom on the Net 2023
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Freedom on the Net
2023
The Repressive Power of Artificial Intelligence
Written by
Allie Funk
Adrian Shahbaz
Kian Vesteinsson
Key Findings
Global internet freedom declined for the 13th consecutive year. Digital repression intensified in Iran, home to this year’s worst decline, as authorities shut down internet service, blocked WhatsApp and Instagram, and increased surveillance in a bid to quell antigovernment protests. Myanmar came close to dislodging China as the world’s worst environment for internet freedom, a title the latter country retained for the ninth consecutive year. Conditions worsened in the Philippines as outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte used an antiterrorism law to block news sites that had been critical of his administration. Costa Rica’s status as a champion of internet freedom has been imperiled after the election of a president whose campaign manager hired online trolls to harass several of the country’s largest media outlets.
Attacks on free expression grew more common around the world. In a record 55 of the 70 countries covered by Freedom on the Net , people faced legal repercussions for expressing themselves online, while people were physically assaulted or killed for their online commentary in 41 countries. The most egregious cases occurred in Myanmar and Iran, whose authoritarian regimes carried out death sentences against people convicted of online expression-related crimes. In Belarus and Nicaragua, where protections for internet freedom plummeted during the coverage period, people received draconian prison terms for online speech, a core tactic employed by longtime dictators Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Daniel Ortega in their violent campaigns to stay in power.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) threatens to supercharge online disinformation campaigns. At least 47 governments deployed commentators to manipulate online discussions in their favor during the coverage period, double the number from a decade ago. Meanwhile, AI-based tools that can generate text, audio, and imagery have quickly grown more sophisticated, accessible, and easy to use, spurring a concerning escalation of these disinformation tactics. Over the past year, the new technology was utilized in at least 16 countries to sow doubt, smear opponents, or influence public debate.
AI has allowed governments to enhance and refine the
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