Data Democracy and the Burgeoning of Totalitarianism by Saloni Shah

The digital era has opened the door for new forms of communication and has not just allowed more people to communicate, but engendered new modes of communication; a powerful tool, yet unfortunately fragile. Increasingly, authoritarian regimes around the world have sought to limit what content their citizens have access to in order to maintain their ideological supremacy and political legitimacy. The visualization below shows an alarming global trend all too common; a decade of decrease in access to data and data democracy. Of the 46 countries assessed, 32 have been on an overall decline since 2010, compared with 12 that registered net improvements.

Data Sources
Individuals using the Internet - International Telecommunication Union ( ITU ) World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - The World Bank
Freedom on the Net 2021 - The Global Drive to Control Big Tech - Freedom House
Freedom on the Net 2012 - A Global Assessment of Internet and Digital Media - Freedom House