Third MENA country in Freedom of Internet

Improvement in access, affordability, legislation

The ‘Freedom of the Net 2013’ report ranked Lebanon third in the MENA region in terms of freedom of Internet usage. The report was published by Freedom House, an independent American watchdog organization founded in 1941 and dedicated to the expansion of freedom around the world.

‘Freedom on the Net 2013’, identifies key trends in Internet freedom in 60 countries. It evaluates each country based on obstacles to access, limits on content, and violations of user rights. Each country receives a numerical score on a scale of 0 (most free) to 100 (least free).

The MENA countries assessed included Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, and the UAE.

Lebanon was found ‘Partly Free’ in the usage of Internet. It scored 45 overall, behind Morocco (42), and Tunisia (41), and tied with Libya.

The report said the country’s access to Internet and the decrease in the prices of mobile and broadband Internet were the main positive indicators.

The report also mentioned improvement in limiting violations of users’ rights. Progress on the e-transaction law and intellectual property laws were additional positive signs.

In terms of ICT content, the report said that only a few VoIP applications were blocked, such as Vonage, because they cut into the government’s revenues from international calls. Skype is still freely accessible.