Given the constant bombardment of cancellations and deplatforming, it is interesting that the report finds the United States internet "free" with a score of 75 (ranked only 12th in the world though) with Canada, Estonia, and Costa Rica ranking best for internet freedom.

As Statista's Katharina Buchholz breaks down in the infographic below, some of the other least free countries on the internet are restrictive regimes like Iran, Myanmar and Cuba.

Vietnam in rank 5 has also been taking cues from its close ally China, which asserts internet control via the so-called Great Firewall, a collection of gateways that controls all internet traffic going in and out of the country, enabling the Chinese government to filter it. Iran and North Korea also employ this method. The idea has become popular among Southeast Asian nations, with Cambodia and Thailand recently mulling the introduction of this draconian measure of internet control.

Tight internet controls are also common in the Middle East and North Africa, with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain raking highly.