Costa Rica is fourth in the world in the Online Freedom Index published by Freedom House with data collected from June 2022 to May 2023.The study measures each country’s level of Internet freedom based on three main criteria: barriers to access, content limits and violations of user rights.
Our country obtained 21 out of 25 points in the first indicator, 33 out of 35 in the second and 31 out of 40 in the third, for a general score of 85 out of 100.Although Internet access in Costa Rica has constantly increased and continues to have one of the most open online environments in the world, there are still challenges to improve, especially in cybersecurity issues.
Socioeconomic and geographic divisions persist
“Internet access is generally strong, although socioeconomic and geographic divisions persist. Users enjoy unlimited access to online content and their rights to free expression are largely protected by laws and courts. However, government institutions have struggled to develop resilience to disruptive cyberattacks,” the report notes.
Likewise, the worsening of online intimidation, particularly against journalists, is another negative point. “High-profile cases of targeted online harassment, with apparent links to members of the government, have contributed to growing unrest and self-censorship among the country’s journalists,” the report added.
In Costa Rica there are no connectivity restrictions imposed by the government, which has fostered an environment conducive to the growth of technology and communication in the country.China (9), Burma (10), Iran (11) and Cuba (20) have the lowest scores of the 70 countries analyzed.
