A report on Internet freedom in 65 countries by a pro-democracy think tank has found that it declined in 2016 in most of these countries for the sixth consecutive year.
However, the report by Freedom House, found that in some countries like Australia things had not markedly gone backwards.
The report covers roughly 88% of the world's Internet users.
Of the 65 countries covered, the report said 34 had been on a negative trajectory with respect to Internet freedom since June 2015.
{loadposition sam08}The biggest declines were in Uganda, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ecuador, and Libya. In Uganda, curbs were placed on Internet freedom in the run-up to the presidential election and inauguration in the first half of 2016. Social media platforms and communication services such as Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp were blocked for several days.
In Bangladesh, religious extremists claimed responsibility for murdering a blogger and the founder of an LGBTI magazine with a community of online supporters.
Cambodia passed an overly broad telecommunications law that put the industry under government control, to the detriment of service providers and user privacy. Police arrested several people for their Facebook posts, including one about a border dispute with Vietnam.
The report said 27% of all Internet users lived in countries where people had been arrested for publishing, sharing, or even "liking" content on Facebook.
It also found that governments were increasingly targeting applications like WhatsApp and Telegram which provide end-to-end secure messaging.
However Australia was given a score of 21 out of 100 by the organisation, with a lower score indicating less restrictions. It said no social media or apps had been blocked, political and social content had not been censored, no bloggers had been arrested and the press was still free.
"There are few obstacles to Internet access in Australia. Services continue to improve in remote and rural areas throughout Australia, with both the young and elderly embracing connectivity. The ICT sector is mature and competitive, providing Australians with fair and high-quality internet connectivity," the report said.
The report did not cover New Zealand.