- Internet freedoms have deteriorated further in 2025
- Online anonymity is increasingly under attack globally
- VPNs are also a target
Internet freedoms continued to decline in 2025, marking the 15th consecutive year of deteriorating conditions, according to the new report from Freedom House.
The report found that the Internet is now more controlled than ever, with “an increasing number of governments around the world imposing constraints on online anonymity,” Freedom House noted.
In this context, the use of censorship-resistant technologies, including the best VPN services, has become crucial. At the same time, the use of VPNs is increasingly under attack.
That’s why, in a report published last June, Freedom House and the European University Institute investigated restrictions on censorship circumvention tools.
“We found that of the 72 countries in Freedom on the Net, authorities in 21 have sought to block access to VPNs or censorship circumvention tools over the past five years,” confirmed Kian Vesteinsson, senior research analyst at Freedom House.
Online anonymity is under attack
In this year’s Net Freedom Report, researchers focused on the global decline of online anonymity.
This is worrying, according to Freedom House, because “restrictions on anonymity pose a direct threat to online privacy, freedom of expression, and access to information, and could further divide the global Internet along different national rules for participation.”
A particularly significant constraint is the moves by countries like the UK, several US states, Italy and (soon) Australia to impose mandatory age verification.
While these laws aim to protect children online, experts have warned of unintended consequences for people’s data privacy, safety and freedom of expression.
A hack of third-party services used by Discord for age verification in the UK resulted in the identity documents of 70,000 users being breached, providing a stark reminder of the security risks associated with age checks.
“This risk is already present and in front of us,” Vesteinsson said. “Policymakers should instead look for options that link child protection and fundamental rights.”
Vietnam and China have gone even further by enacting legislation requiring identity verification only to post content on social media.
During the period covered by the report (June 2024-May 2025), Freedom House also found that “governments across the democratic spectrum have imposed limits on the tools that make online privacy possible.”
The measures include the UK placing a backdoor encryption order with Apple, a request that prompted the big tech giant to remove its advanced end-to-end encryption protection for iCloud.
Globally, between January 2020 and March 2025, people in 17 of the 72 countries covered by the Freedom on the Net report experienced blockages on end-to-end encrypted communications platforms, such as Signal and Proton Mail.
VPN and encryption – the main target
Once again, Freedom House has painted a bleak picture of the Internet’s evolution.
Virtual private networks (VPNs) and encrypted messaging apps are becoming essential tools for promoting digital rights around the world. However, they are increasingly the target of governments, including those of Western democracies.
For the first time, some US states – including Wisconsin and Michigan – are considering mandating VPN traffic blocking to make their age verification laws more effective. At the same time, Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, confirmed to TechRadar that it has started monitoring VPN use.
Encrypted messaging apps are also increasingly under threat in Europe as lawmakers continue to push for the controversial chat control bill with a new proposal, despite continued backlash from the privacy and cybersecurity industries.
“This trend is persistent but not irreversible,” said Annie Boyajian, president of Freedom House. “It is clear, however, that we have reached a critical moment and that the deterioration will not stop unless governments and the private sector do more to protect Internet freedom.”
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