Freedom House: Georgia retains ‘free’ status for freedom on the net

Georgia has retained the status of ‘free’ in the Freedom House’s Freedom on the Net 2021 index with 77 scores out of a total 100. 

Georgia has improved its score by one point compared to last year.

“Internet freedom improved in Georgia, due to no reported arrests linked to people’s online activity. However, several challenges related to the number of cyberattacks and domestic content manipulation were observed during the coverage period,” Freedom House says.

The report states that the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC), the main telecommunications regulatory body, has also been criticized for a lack of transparency and accountability. 

“Women politicians and political candidates also experienced online harassment ahead of the October 2020 parliamentary election in certain cases. Internet access continues to grow in Georgia, yet government efforts to expand internet infrastructure have progressed slowly,” said the report.

Freedom House says that Georgia ‘holds regular and competitive elections’, and its democratic trajectory ‘showed signs of improvement’ during the period surrounding a change in government in 2012–13. 

However, according to the report, progress has stagnated in recent years. 

“Oligarchic actors hold outsized influence over policy and political choices, and the rule of law continues to be stymied by political interests,” Freedom House says.