“Facebook is the single most hated social media platform by autocratic governments and remained highly censored in 2022,” said the Surfshark annual report on internet censorship. The annual report, much like the Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC) report on ‘Internet Shutdowns in 2022’, focuses on the number of times online free speech has been hindered by way of such censorship. However, Surfshark in its study focusing on shutdowns across the world has also taken various other metrics into consideration. One such metric looks at platform censorship. Why it matters: Internet censorship endangers people’s freedom of speech online as well as hinders opportunities for growth, knowledge, and democracy in general. In the case of platforms, despite the barrage of grievances received by the social media companies, such platforms are a crucial method of spreading information among the general public, especially during times of political turmoil. Since the restrictions and bans, mentioned in the Surfshark report, comes from governments themselves, this aspect provides important information about the treatment of free speech by various ruling regimes. Clamp down on Meta platforms According to Surfshark, 46 percent of the global population, since 2015, has, in some way or another, been affected by government-imposed Facebook restrictions. For example, Burkina Faso and Russia restricted the social media platform in 2022 and continued to do so in 2023. Russia officially banned Facebook in March 2022. Instagram poses as the runner-up: After Facebook comes Meta’s other popular platform Instagram that ranked as the second-most blocked social media platform.…
