free internet access in the world presentation

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Is Free Internet a Myth?

Internet freedom.

Only 18 countries in the world can be considered truly free when it comes to the internet . What was once envisioned as a space to exchange information and foster community by connecting people around the world has, in some instances, turned into a tool of control and censorship. As our chart shows, most of the world's population has to live with only slightly free internet.

According to the yearly report by Freedom House , 31 of the 70 assessed countries only have partial freedom when it comes to user rights and state control of the internet. China has the questionable honor to come in last for the seventh year in a row, scoring only ten of a maximum of 100 points. This development correlates with recent reports of the Chinese government further tightening regulations on online gaming and internet use by minors. Inhabitants of Iceland and Estonia, on the other hand, are given almost completely free reign over their internet experience, with both countries coming in well over 90 points. The United States was able to score 71 points in 2021, being beaten by Germany and France as well as the more unlikely candidates of Georgia, Taiwan and Costa Rica. Even though some countries were awarded high marks, the report also finds that global internet freedom has declined for the eleventh year in a row. 20 countries suspended internet access, 21 states blocked users from using social media and at least 45 countries are said to have obtained spyware from private vendors.

The internet freedom ranking by Freedom House is based on three broad categories: Obstacles to access, limits on content and violations of users' rights. The assessed countries make up roughly 88 percent of the global population with access to the internet.

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This chart shows the state of internet freedom around the world in 2021.

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Global affairs, where the internet has been restricted, tiktok bans: security concerns or sinophobia, internet shutdowns, the global internet kill switch, internet control, russian attempts to censor the internet skyrocket, the cost of blocking the internet, google's dragonfly wades into murky water, the countries shutting down the internet the most, net neutrality, bipartisan support for net neutrality, americans voice support for net neutrality, disinformation and manipulation is rife on social media, where popular apps are under assault.

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Chapter 1 - The Internet and World Wide Web

Published by Ezra Fowler Modified over 6 years ago

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Presentation on theme: "Chapter 1 - The Internet and World Wide Web"— Presentation transcript:

The Internet.

Review of Chapter 2. Important concepts – The Internet is a worldwide collection of networks that links millions of businesses, government agencies, educational.

What is the Internet? Internet: The Internet, in simplest terms, is the large group of millions of computers around the world that are all connected to.

The Internet and the World Wide Web. Una DooneyThe Internet and WWWSlide 2 What is the Internet? A collection of networks (LANS and WANS) around the world.

Lesson 19 Internet Basics.

Lesson 3: Introduction to Internet Technology

The Internet and World Wide Web.  Understand how the Internet evolved  Describe common Internet communication methods and activities  Setting up your.

Connecting one computer to another computer creates a network.

Lesson 2 — The Internet and the World Wide Web

What Is the Internet? Living Online Lesson 2 IC 3 Basics Ambrose, Bergerud, Busche, et. Al.

Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. McGraw-Hill Technology Education Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies,

Network Installation. Internet & Intranets Topics to be discussed Internet. Intranet. .

The Internet and World Wide Web By: Shilpa Phanse 10/8/2008.

THE INTERNET Chapter 13. Internet- Interconnection and Networks “the Net” Computers have played a significant role in our everyday life Growth in popularity.

IT in Business Essentials of the Internet and World Wide Web.

Introduction To Internet

- is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide. INTERNET.

An Overview of the Internet: The Internet: Then and Now How the Internet Works Major Features of the Internet.

Communication, Networks, The internet and the Worldwide Web.

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• Top 20 Countries With Free Wifi: Stay Connected To Your Online World On The Go!

06 Feb 2023

Posting on social media, liking other’s pics, reacting to the posts, tweeting, hashtagging on insta, and putting up live statuses and stories, is pretty much driving the whole world crazy today. While all these things form the major facets of our traveling and life experiences, one thing without which people across the world cannot survive today, is that of the internet.

Though this obsessive need of staying connected to the virtual world is pushing people into their own bubble, many countries with free wifi are boosting the inflow of tourists via internet. This not only cuts down the trouble of buying an international sim card, and subscribing to confusing plans, but also makes way for travelers to explore more places with free wifi.

Hence, next time you plan on exploring a new place, make a note of these top 20 countries with free wifi based on their download and upload speed (in Mbps), for a hassle-free traveling experience.

Top 20 Countries With Free Wifi

Please Note: Though all these countries offer public internet services which comes for free, it is not guaranteed whether all of them are safe to be connected to or not. However, the average download and upload speed might differ as these numbers represent figures only till the second quarter of 2017.

Also, the procedure for using free wifi services remains the same in all these countries wherein you either have to install a particular app, sign-in into the public connection, or register your mobile number (local, or international), and continue to enjoy the services, free of cost!

Suggested Read: 10 Destinations In U.S.A For That Perfect American Honeymoon!

Though the download speed of public Wi-Fis may not be at par with the other countries with free internet , the United States of America did make it to the list of top 20 nonetheless. From restaurants to cafes, from pubs to bars, from hotels to airports, and from parks to pizzerias, all the states in USA offer a great deal when it comes to free public wifi.

Average Download Speed: 6.89 Average Upload Speed: 4.37

Whether one knows how to use a public connection safely or not, Canada is one of those countries with free public wifi wherein a strong wifi network is the deciding factor of almost everything for everyone. Right from where one wants to stay, to where one wants eat, the place has got to have a free public wifi in Canada.

Average Download Speed: 7.16 Average Upload Speed: 3.32

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18. Portugal

With a national level network Go Wi-Fi , which is not only free but also safe and secure, Portugal is one the rise and has soon become one of the major countries with fastest free wifi networks in public spaces. They not only offer browsing on the go, but also update the speed and the number of hotspots during special events, and festivals. All you have to do is just register one time on their national network, and start browsing for free.

Average Download Speed: 7.43 Average Upload Speed: 2.55

Suggested Read: Solo Female Travel Destinations In The World: Surreal, Sensational, And Safe!

Other than the normal public spaces like that of restaurants, cafes, malls, airports, and hotels, one can also find free wifi in the country of Sweden at selected places like museums and libraries as well. With apps like WiFi Finder for Android-based phones, and Free WiFi Map for iOS softwares, Sweden makes sure travelers get unlimited access of internet and are able to find the local hotspots hassle-free.

Average Download Speed: 7.9 Average Upload Speed: 9.29

16. Germany

Though Germany may not be one of the countries with fastest internet , it is expected to remove the liability issue for service providers over piracy concerns. Looking forward to free Wi-Fi hotspots and much improved internet services in public spaces by the fall this year, chances are high that Germany might officially become one of the best countries with free wifi .

Average Download Speed: 7.96 Average Upload Speed: 2.95

In a bid to promote the fastest and the most stable internet services in the entire Europe, Latvia offers high speed wifi services throughout the capital city of Riga. With more than 930 hotspot location across the city, Latvia is indeed one of the best countries with free wifi in Europe.

Average Download Speed: 8.46 Average Upload Speed: 8.33

14. Switzerland

Suggested Read: Top 20 Things To Do In Switzerland On Your Europe Holiday

It does not come as a surprise to know that a much favorite tourist-oriented country like Switzerland offers wifi services for free at public places. On the contrary, what does come as a surprise is that Switzerland is one of those genius countries with free wifi on buses as well. Here, you will actually experience what browsing-on-the-go feels like! (pardon the tunnels)

Average Download Speed: 8.67 Average Upload Speed: 3.9

13. Finland

Of all the countries with free wifi , Finland’s Helsinki is famous for offering public internet services which are faster than your private internet connections or paid-subscriptions. Not just that, it is fast, safe, and unrestricted as well. Intrigued much? So are we!

Average Download Speed: 8.69 Average Upload Speed: 6.09

12. Singapore

With an average surfing speed of about 9 Mbps, the public wifi services of Singapore are actually ahead of half of the developed countries with free wifi . Expected to double its number of hotspots to about 20,000 by the year 2018, the public service provider of Wireless@SG provides free wifi hotspots across the country for seamless streaming and browsing experience.

Average Download Speed: 9.49 Average Upload Speed: 5.41

11. Bulgaria

Suggested Read: Your favorite Jeans Is Costlier Than Living In These International Cities

The public wifi hotspots are not considered to be too safe in Bulgaria, which otherwise, is the case of every public connection which comes for free. Also, like most of the countries with free wifi , it is not at all hard to spot a public wifi connection with the app of WiFi Finder in this Balkan nation.

Average Download Speed: 9.67 Average Upload Speed: 6.31

10. Slovenia

The reason why Slovenia is one of the countries with considerably high download speed is that its internet services are not totally free. Though it may offer free wifi services at major hotspots, it stands at its position in the list of top countries with free wifi due to its surfing speed as well which is a result of restricting the services on the basis of usage duration. For example, some of the places in Slovenia may offer free internet access for just one hour per day .

Average Download Speed: 9.72 Average Upload Speed: 6.69

The moment you enter the capital city of Brussels, you can get access to the internet services provided by the official WiFi network of Belgium called Wifi.Brussels which is of course, free of cost. By fulfilling a small requirement of just one-time registration and login on the network, travelers will be able to browse hassle-free whenever they’re in any area near the hotspots.

Average Download Speed: 10.07 Average Upload Speed: 3.22

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Ever imagined how it feels to be connected to your world even without a public wifi? That’s what sharing is all about and Hungary knows it the best. Download the free wifi app called the Wiman App which connects you to the best wifi services available in your range. It may be a public network or anyone on Wiman who’s willing to share their network. Smart isn’t it?

Average Download Speed: 10.37 Average Upload Speed: 4.03

Tagged as the most “connected country” in the world in terms of usage of internet services and mobile phones, Denmark is indeed one of the smartest countries with free wifi . Just like Switzerland, Denmark too offers strong internet services in various public spaces as well as different modes of transport like that of buses and trams.

Average Download Speed: 10.52 Average Upload Speed: 6.06

6. United Kingdom

When in the royal land, travelers must surf like the royals as well. For those who don’t like to carry cash because for everything else – there is always MasterCard, can download the MasterCard Wifi App whenever they are in London. This will not only get them connected to one of the best wifi network but will also help in making their travel experience much more smoother and prep them well before they arrive at the destination.

Average Download Speed: 10.97 Average Upload Speed: 5.26

Suggested Read: Summer In Europe: Top 10 Offbeat Places For A Fabulous Vacation!

Romania is one of those countries with free wifi which takes immense pride when it comes to facilitating the travelers with high-speed Internet services. Just like any other developed European country, Romania offers wifi services on the go at many hotspots like cafes, restaurants, parks, hotels, and shopping malls, not only at free of cost but at a high speed as well.

Average Download Speed: 11.32 Average Upload Speed: 7.31

With an average download speed of more than 11 Mbps , Ireland offers qualitative free wifi services at a speed which is almost double than that of USA. Also, with the help of the famous app – WiFi Finder , one can get access to multiple hotspots within their range while traveling in Ireland.

Average Download Speed: 11.43 Average Upload Speed: 5.2

Estonia was once considered to be the second best of all countries with free wifi until Croatia took over its spot. With an average internet speed of 12.5 Mbps, Estonia still makes it to the top 3 amongst the best countries that offer free public wifi services for locals as well as travelers.

Average Download Speed: 13.75 Average Upload Speed: 12.04

Suggested Read: Honeymoon In Croatia: All You Need To Plan An Incredible Escape

Beating Estonia to rank up the list, Croatia has developed a lot in terms of offering free wifi services to locals and guests alike. With an impressive download speed of 14Mbps , Croatia bagged the second spot as per the survey done by Rotten Wifi, which is a famous watchdog for 3G/4G users.

Average Download Speed: 14.05 Average Upload Speed: 11.21

1. Lithuania

Lithuania is one of the best countries with free wifi services and the fastest wifi services. According to the reports of Rotten Wifi, it has been recorded that the satisfaction level of users towards the free wifi services provided by Lithuania has been high and very satisfactory. Catering to the increasing demand of travelers for free wifi services, Lithuania leaves no stone unturned in meeting their expectations year on year.

Average Download Speed: 15.4 Average Upload Speed: 14.17

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Internet Basics

In this free tutorial, improve your Internet skills so you can connect, use the cloud, download and upload files, and do more online.

Introduction

• 1 What is the Internet? arrow_forward_ios ✓ Learn the basics of using the Internet.
• 2 What Can You Do Online? arrow_forward_ios ✓ Learn all the things you can do online.

Getting Started with the Internet

• 3 Connecting to the Internet arrow_forward_ios ✓ Learn how to get online and start using the Internet.
• 4 Understanding the Cloud arrow_forward_ios ✓ Gain a greater understanding of the cloud and how it works.

Browsing the Web

• 5 Using a Web Browser arrow_forward_ios ✓ Use these tips so you can get the most out of your web browser.
• 6 Understanding Hyperlinks arrow_forward_ios ✓ Learn how hyperlinks work to connect various webpages.
• 7 Downloading and Uploading arrow_forward_ios ✓ Learn how to upload and download files on your computer.
• 8 Using Search Engines arrow_forward_ios ✓ Learn how search engines work, as well as how to use them.
• 9 Understanding URLs arrow_forward_ios ✓ Understand how URLs work and what they are.
• 10 How to Set Up a Wi-Fi Network arrow_forward_ios ✓ Here's how to set up your Wi-Fi network.
• 11 Choosing a Web Browser arrow_forward_ios ✓ Consider these factors when selecting a web browser.
• 12 Internet Basics Quiz arrow_forward_ios ✓ Test your knowledge of Internet basics by taking our quiz.

The Free Internet Project

• Internet rights: free speech and press. Weak privacy protection.
• ISP safe harbor: DMCA safe harbors for copyright claims. Section 230 immunity for defamation and non-IP claims, but Trump Executive Order attempts to limit.
• Net neutrality: None. FCC repealed protection for net neutrality in 2018.
• The Great Firewall of China blocks people's access to many websites, e.g., Facebook, Google.
• Government engages in extensive censorship especially related to political organizing or protests.
• Foreign social media apps are banned.  Users must use real names on social media. 
• Internet rights: No bill of rights. Some censorship of content. Personal data protected.
• ISP safe harbors: limited to Internet access providers, does not apply to other services.
• Net neutrality: no legal protection.
• Internet rights: free speech, press, privacy in Constitution. Article 6 guarantees Internet access, though not implemented.
• ISP safe harbor: none.
• Net neutrality: law to protect net neutrality in 2014.
• Internet rights: free speech, press in Constitution. Privacy law.  Hate speech banned.
• ISP safe harbor: for conduits, caching, hosting, search engines from copyright liability.  "Notice-and-notice" process.
• Net neutrality: CRTC policy sets rules for Internet traffic management practices.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution. Internet bill of rights (Marco Civil da Internet) enacted.
• ISP safe harbor: horizontal approach requires court order before takedown of infringing content.
• Net neutrality: Marco Civil prohibits prohibits content-based discrimination of Internet traffic. 
• Crowdsourced Internet bill of rights.
• Russia has exercised tighter control online, including blocking websites. 
• 2014 "Blogger law" requires bloggers with 3,000 daily users to register with government.
• Websites collecting personal data of Russians must be stored in servers in Russia by 2016.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution. Personal data law.
• ISP safe harbor: 2014 law requires court review before takedown of content.
• Net neutrality: law prohibits "arbitrarily distinguish[ing] content ... based on the source or ownership thereof.”
• Internet rights: Constitution protects Internet speech. Data privacy law. Policy for universal access. 
• ISP safe harbor: none. ISPs have been subject to liability and injunctions. 
• Net neutrality: Congress considering a proposal on net neutrality. 
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy, personal data protected. 
• ISP safe harbor: free trade agreement with U.S. yet to be implemented. 
• Net neutrality: no legal protection; bill proposed in 2011.
• Net neutrality: legal protection since 2012.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy, personal data right in Constitution. Government blocking of websites.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy, data privacy in Constitution. Data privacy bill in 2015.
• Net neutrality: legal protection for net neutrality.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution.
• Internet rights: follows French law, which protects speech, privacy, data privacy.
• ISP safe harbor: follows French law, which protects conduits, caching, hosting.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution. Access a fundamental right. Data privacy law.
• ISP safe harbor: for conduits, caching, hosting, locator tools. Notice and takedown process.
• Net neutrality: no legal protection. 
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy, habeas data in Constitution. Hate speech proscribed.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution. Data privacy law.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy, data privacy in Constitution.
• Internet rights: free speech, data privacy protections. Hate speech proscribed.
• ISP safe harbors: EU horizontal approach for conduits, caching, storage.
• Net neutrality: 2015 EU Regulation bans discrimination or throttling of online traffic.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution. Personal data law. Hate speech banned.
• ISP safe harbor: EU horizontal approach for conduits, caching, storage of content.
• Net neutrality: 2015 EU Regulation bans discrimination or throttling of online traffic.  
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution.  Data privacy law.
• ISP safe harbors: EU horizontal approach for conduits, caching, storage, plus search engines.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. Statute for personal data. Hate speech outlawed.
• ISP safe harbor: EU horizontal approach protects ISP conduits, caching, hosting.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution. Statute protects personal data.
• ISP safe harbor: EU horizontal approach for conduit, caching, hosting, plus search engines.
• Internet right: right of guaranteed access; free speech, privacy in Constitution. Statute for personal data. Hate speech proscribed.
• ISP safe harbor: EU horizontal approach for conduits, caching, storage.
• Net neutrality: 2015 EU Regulation bans discrimination or throttling of online traffic.
• Internet rights: free speech, strong privacy protections; hate speech proscribed.
• Net neutrality :2015 EU Regulation bans discrimination or throttling of online traffic.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution. Statute for personal data. Hate speech banned.
• ISP safe harbor: EU horizontal approach for conduits, caching, storage. ISPs duties go beyond take down.
• Internet rights: Constitution protects free speech, privacy. Statutory protection for personal data.
• ISP safe harbor: EU horizontal approach. AgCom agency has new takedown process, including fast track.
• Net neutrality: no protection.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in ECHR and Human Rights Act. Personal data protection. ISPs filter pornography, adult materials.
• ISP safe harbor: EU horizontal safe harbors for conduits, caching, storage.  
• Internet rights: free speech, press, privacy in Constitution. Personal data protected. 
• Net neutrality: law protects net neutrality since 2011. 2015 EU Regulation bans discrimination or throttling of online traffic.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution. Statute for personal data. Hate speech outlawed.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy, data privacy.  Hate speech proscribed.
• ISP safe harbor: EU horizontal approach for conduit, caching, and passive hosting.
• Internet rights: free speech and privacy in Constitution. Statute protects personal data.
• ISP safe harbor:
• Net neutrality: no legal requirement.
• Internet rights: free speech in Constitution. Statute protects personal data.
• ISP safe harbor: Obligated to apply EU horizontal approach for conduit, caching, and passive hosting.
• Net neutrality: voluntary industry guidelines have been adopted.
• Internet rights: free speech in Constitution, but media self censors. Personal data law. Hate speech banned.
• ISP safe harbor: for access, caching, passive storage, and information locator tools.
• Net neutrality: no legal protection
• Internet rights: Constitution recognizes free speech, privacy but restrictions of speech in practice  Data privacy law.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but some impairment. Personal data law.
• Net neutrality: none.  
• ISP safe harbors: none.
• Internet rights: Constitution protects free speech, privacy. Data privacy protected. Cybercrime law curtails rights.
• ISP safe harbors: Section 30 of the Electronic Commerce Act provides safe harbor.
• Net neutrality: not protected. 
• Net neutrality: No legal protection
• Net neutrality: no protection, but voluntary industry code.
• In 2014, then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered blocking of Twitter and YouTube in Turkey.
• Journalists and people critical of government frequently arrested. 
• 2014 law gives government power to block sites without court order; requires retention of user records for 2 years. 
• ISP safe harbor: broad immunity without notice and takedown requirement.
• Internet rights: Constitution protects free speech.  Data privacy protected by statute. 
• ISP safe harbor: horizontal safe harbor for ISPs from copyright, defamation, and other liability; notice-and-takedown approach.  
• Net neutrality: recognized by industry guidelines, subject to exceptions.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but restricted in practice.  
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but some restrictions.  Data privacy law. 
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but some restrictions.  Data privacy bill. 
• Internet rights: free speech and privacy in Constitution. Speech restricted. No data privacy law.  
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but some restrictions.  No data privacy law. 
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy, and data privacy in Constitution. Data privacy law.  
• Internet rights: new Constitution passed in Dec. 2015. Free speech and privacy protected.
• Internet rights: free speech and press in Constitution. Data privacy law.  

<ul> <li>Internet rights: free speech, data&nbsp;privacy protections.&nbsp;Hate speech proscribed.</li> <li>ISP safe harbors: EU horizontal approach for conduits, caching, storage.</li> <li>Net neutrality: 2015 EU Regulation bans discrimination or throttling of online traffic.</li> </ul>  

• Internet rights: free speech and press in Constitution. Speech restricted. No data privacy law.  
• Internet rights: free speech and press in Constitution. Censorship. No data privacy law.  
• Internet rights: free speech and privacy in Constitution. Government censorship and restriction of Internet. No data privacy law.  
• Internet rights: free speech, press, privacy in Constitution, but restrictions in practice. No data privacy law.  
• Internet rights: free speech and press in Constitution. No data privacy law.  
• Internet rights: free speech and privacy in Constitution. Speech restricted. No data privacy law.  
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in interim Constitution, but restricted in practice.  
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but some monitoring of websites. Personal data protection.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution.  Data privacy bill. 
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but some self-censorship.  Data privacy law. 
• Internet rights: free speech and privacy in Constitution. Some restrictions. Data privacy law.  
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy, and data privacy, but speech sometimes restricted in practice.  
• ISP safe harbor: based on removal of the allegedly infringing material.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but some restrictions of speech.  No data privacy law. 
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution. No data privacy law.
• Overseas territory of France following French law
• Internet rights: free speech and press in Constitution. Speech restricted and website blocking. No data privacy law.  
• Internet rights: Constitution protects free speech, free press, privacy, human dignity. Personal data protection law.
• ISP safe harbor: for conduit, caching, hosting, locator tools. Notice-and-takedown.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution. Personal data protection not yet in effect.
• Internet rights: free speech and privacy in Constitution. No data privacy law.  
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but restrictions of speech in practice.  No data privacy law. 
• Internet rights: free speech in Constitution. Data privacy law.  
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but some restrictions. 
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but some restrictions and monitoring. No data privacy law.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but some restrictions of speech and online monitoring.  No data privacy law. 
• Internet rights: Censorship of content, blocking of websites. Lack of privacy protection.
• ISP safe harbors: no legal protection.
• Internet rights: speech and privacy rights, but restrictions imposed by government.
• Net neutrality: legal protection.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but restrictions of speech for morality. 
• Iran blacklists thousands of disapproved websites and blocked more than 5 million sites.
• Extensive government surveillance of Internet content.
• Bloggers can be jailed for posting disapproved content. 
• Internet rights: free speech and privacy recognized but restricted in practice.

<ul> <li>Internet rights: free&nbsp;speech in Constitution, but restricted in practice. No right of privacy.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li> <li>ISP safe harbor: none.</li> <li>Net neutrality: no legal protection.</li> </ul>  

• Internet rights: free speech in Constitution, but restricted in practice. No privacy right.
• Internet rights: free speech and privacy recognzied, but censorship, website blocking, and Internet monitoring in practice. 
• Internet rights: speech and privacy rights, but restrictions and website blocking.
• Internet rights: free speech and privacy rights restricted by government.
• Internet rights: Censorship of content. Lack of privacy protection.
• Internet rights: speech and privacy rights, but restrictions to stifle criticism of government.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy and data privacy in Constitution.
• https://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/az/az019en.pdf Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but restricted in practice.  Data protection law.
• Internet rights: privacy, free speech but some restrictions and censorship.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution. But government censorship and monitoring.
• Internet rights: Censorship of pornography, defamation, blasphemy. Some personal data protection.
• Government engages in selective blocking of websites and accounts on social media.
• The government's Central Monitoring System (CMS) surveils phone calls, emails, Internet content. 
• Net neutrality: Department of Telecommunications report favors net neutrality. 
• Internet rights: Free speech right subject to exception. Government censors political criticisms, defamation, pornography. Personal data protected. 
• ISP safe harbor: OSP safe harbors are more limited than US DMCA  
• Net neutrality: KCC Guidelines allow reasonable traffic discrimination
• Internet rights: speech and privacy rights, personal data protection.
• Internet rights: speech right, no general privacy right, and limited personal data protection.
• Internet rights: free speech in Constitution, but censorship in practice. Data privacy law.
• ISP safe harbor: no safe harbor, although scope of secondary liability for ISPs unclear.
• Internet rights: privacy, free speech but broad defamation law and ban on 774 phrases.
• ISP safe harbors: limited; Article 25 of Copyright Act imposes substantial duties on ISPs.
• Net neutrality: TBD.
• Internet rights: privacy, free speech but broad defamation law used to stifle speech.
• Internet rights: speech and privacy rights, but no personal data protection.
• Net neutrality: draft guidelines in 2018.
• Pakistan has increased censorship and restrictions on access to the web for religious, political, and other reasons.
• Government engages in blocking of websites.  YouTube has been blocked since 2012. 
• Internet rights: free speech, but no privacy.  Temporary Internet blocking in state of emergency in 2018. 
• Internet rights: Constitution protects free speech, privacy of correspondence, personal data privacy.
• ISP safe harbors: for access, caching, passive storage, and locator tools.
• Internet rights: speech and privacy rights, but restrictions in practice.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution. But government censorship, monitoring, website blocking. 
• Internet rights: privacy and free speech.  No personal data protection. 
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution. Data privacy. Website blocking.
• Cuba restricts Internet access and requires people to apply for a permit to get full "international" access to the Internet, Decree Law 209 (1996).
• Most Cubans do not qualify for full Internet access.  Only 5% of the population had Internet access in 2012. 
• Cuba blocks websites, especially ones critical of the government, and deploys propaganda on social media.
• Internet rights: protection for free speech, privacy, and personal data.
• ISP safe harbors: for access, caching, and hosting. 
• Internet rights: free speech and privacy rights, but concerns with Cybercrime Code.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution, but some restrictions.
• Internet rights: free speech, privacy in Constitution. Personal data protection.
• ISP safe harbor: None.
• Internet rights: free speech, data privacy protections, Internet access. Hate speech proscribed.
• Internet rights: free speech but not privacy right. Personal data protection. Speech and privacy restrictions.
• ISP safe harbors: 4 safe harbors similar to U.S. DMCA safe harbors.
• Net neutrality: law requires.
• Internet rights: privacy, free speech but speech critical of government is restricted.

Laws to protect Internet freedoms

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Featured Analysis

Dear Supporters of The Free Internet Project: 

After 9 years, we have decided to end our project. But, before we do, we want to thank everyone who contributed to and supported our efforts to raise awareness about threats to Internet freedoms. We couldn't have done it without you. 

While threats to Internet freedoms continue, plenty of other organizations are doing incredible work to protect people's rights online. 

We will sunset this website in due course.

Thanks again. 

OVERVIEW  

The Internet has been championed as an instrument to promote democracy, in part due to its open and decentralized nature that enables millions to organize and spread their views, including dissent.  Over the past few years, however, many fear that the Internet is being “weaponized” by governments, foreign and domestic groups, and even by large tech companies, in ways that threaten democracy, particularly free and fair elections—which are the bedrock of democracy.*   The Free Internet Project is undertaking a new initiative to analyze and address this problem, to provide people with objective analysis of and proposed solutions to the issues countries face in safeguarding elections from interference.  To that end, the nonprofit The Free Internet Project announces the launching of Project Safeguarding Elections (PSE).  PSE has two main objectives:

1.  To track, report, and analyze major incidents of and responses to election interference around the world on a dedicated blog or website.  At least five types of issues will be covered:

• Fake news:  the spread of disinformation and false information online to interfere with an election;
• Hacking of political candidates:  the hacking of emails and communications of political parties and candidates;
• Hacking of voting machines:  the hacking of voting machines and tabulation of results
• Fake results:  the spread of false election results to undermine the true result; and
• Duties of corporations and governments:  the roles and responsibilities (if any) of the law, governments, and companies to address these problems.

2.  To convene experts from different relevant fields to provide opinion pieces and proposed best practices to address these issues around the world.

*See, e.g., Nicolas Weaver, Our Government Has Weaponized the Internet. Here’s How They Did It, Wired, Nov. 13, 2013; Tim Berners-Lee, Tim  Berner-Lee is fighting for the web’s future, and he wants you to join him , Quartz, March 12, 2018.

The Free Internet Project makes the following public service announcements to provide the public with information and tips to avoid election misinformation, including the potential for fake election results and fake news of voting irregularities to delegitimize the election. We plan on sharing these public service announcements on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media. We invite you to share them as well.  You can download all the Public Service Announcements by visting this page .

Reason for The Free Internet Project's Public Service Announcements on Election Misinformation

Social media companies including Facebook , Instagram,  Twitter , YouTube , TikTok , Pinterest , Reddit , and other companies have content moderation policies that prohibit election misinformation and voter suppression on their platforms in anticipation of the 2020 U.S. elections. These companies fear a repeat of the Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. As the bipartisan U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence reported in thousands of pages of its report on " Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election ," the Russian operative group Internet Research Agency used American-based social media platforms to interfere with the 2016 election. "Masquerading as Americans, these operatives used targeted advertisements, intentionally falsified news articles, self-generated content, and social media platform tools to interact with and attempt to deceive tens of millions of social media users in the United States. This campaign sought to polarize Americans on the basis of societal, ideological, and racial differences, provoked real world events, and was part of a foreign government's covert support of Russia's favored candidate in the U.S. presidential election." ( Vol. 2, p. 3 ).

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media companies are now working hard to protect American voters from the same kind of fake news and fake content exploited by the Russian operatives in the 2016 election. But no social media platform is entirely immune from such foreign interference or attacks. On September 22, 2020, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a public service announcement to warn Americans of a new kind of worry for the 2020 election: "the potential threat posed by attempts to spread disinformation regarding the results of the 2020 elections." 

Our goal at The Free Internet Project is to help Americans avoid election misinformation and fake election results. We provide basic information explaining what election misinformation is, give several examples of fake ads and fake accounts used by Russian operatives in the 2016 election, and offer several tips for people to protect themselves on social media. 

Explanation of The Free Internet Project's Public Service Announcements on How to Avoid Election Misinformation

1.  definition of election misinformation.

We first define "election misinformation": "Election misinformation is false, deceptive, or inaccurate information related to the election." It can come in the form of fake news, fake accounts, fake election results, or other misleading content intended to suppress or change your vote, or to discredit the election process. Americans should understand that some election misinformation may expressly include false or misleading claims about the candidates, the voting process, mail-in ballots, voter fraud or purported irregularities in voting, or the election results (who won). But some election misinformation doesn't even mention the election itself, but instead comes in the form of fake content posted from fake accounts on social media intended to make you believe they share your views . These fake accounts pose as Americans supporting particular and often popular causes, such as racial justice, Second Amendment gun rights, support for the police, and LGBTQ rights. In the 2016 U.S. election, Russian operatives used these kinds of fake American accounts to sow discord in U.S. and polarize voters. Volume 2 of the bipartisan  Report of the Select Committee on Intelligence United States Senate on Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election: Russia's Use of Social Media with Additional View , especially pp. 32-71, is the best source to read for examples of the Russian operatives' extensive election misinformation. This year, the FBI and CISA have special concern about foreign interference that may seek to spread fake election results and fake news about voter fraud or other purported irregularities in voting, in order to cast doubt on the verified election results from the states. We discuss this concern in No. 4 below. The key to remember is that election misinformation comes in many forms--possibly even new forms that won't be easy to recognize or detect. Beware.

2.  Stop : Don't rely on or share unverified sources on social media. They can be fake accounts, manipulated videos, and other misleading content intended to suppress or change your vote, or to delegitimize the election.

In their Sept. 22, 2020 public service announcement , "the FBI and CISA urge the American public to critically evaluate the sources of the information they consume and to seek out reliable and verified information from trusted sources, such as state and local election officials." Social media companies, including Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter , have set up voting or election information centers for their users that contain trusted sources identified by those companies. One of the safest practices for social media is to rely only on sources that you know are verified trusted sources. Some companies verify users with a check mark inside a blue circle, but just because users have that symbol does not mean that they are a trusted source of news or election information.  Another safe practice is to rely on  multiple trusted sources  before you reach any conclusions about a news report.

3.  Caution: Be cautious with "friends" or "followers" on social media you don't know . They might be fake accounts trying to make you believe they are on your side. They aren't.

Many Americans may not realize that, in the 2016 election, Russian operatives posed as Americans on social media and acted like they shared your political views on both sides of the political spectrum. The bipartisan Senate Intelligence Report described in Volume 2, p. 3:  "Masquerading as Americans, these operatives used targeted advertisements, intentionally falsified news articles, self-generated content, and social media platform tools to interact with and attempt to deceive tens of millions of social media users in the United States. This campaign sought to polarize Americans on the basis of societal, ideological, and racial differences, provoked real world events, and was part of a foreign government's covert support of Russia's favored candidate in the U.S. presidential election." We have used examples of posts from the fake accounts run by Russian operatives in the 2016, which were analyzed by the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence as HPSCI Minority Open Hearing Exhibits . These examples show that the Russian operatives tried to trick Americans into believing they were on your side, so they could manipulate Americans. As the Senate Intelligence Committee explained in Volume 2 at p. 32-33: "In practice, the IRA's influence operatives dedicated the balance of their effort to establishing the credibility of their online personas, such as by posting innocuous content designed to appeal to like-minded users. This innocuous content allowed IRA influence operatives to build character details for their fake personas, such as a conservative Southerner or a liberal activist, until the opportune moment arrived when the account was used to deliver tailored 'payload content' designed to influence the targeted user. By this concept of operations, the volume and content of posts can obscure the actual objective behind the influence operation. 'If you're running a propaganda outfit, most of what you publish is factual so that you're taken seriously,' Graphika CEO and TAG researcher John Kelly described to the Committee, '[T]hen you can slip in the wrong thing at exactly the right time.'" In other words, your "friends" on social media may be your enemies trying to trick you.

4.  Caution: The FBI warns don't fall for fake election results or fake news about voter fraud or irregularities in voting.

In their Sept. 22, 2020 public service announcement, the FBI and CISA warn that foreign actors and cybercriminals may attempt to spread disinformation about the 2020 election results or other false information "to discredit the electoral process and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions. Given the pandemic, this year's voting may have increased use of mail-in ballots that may require greater time to tabulate. "Foreign actors and cybercriminals could exploit the time required to certify and announce elections’ results by disseminating disinformation that includes reports of voter suppression, cyberattacks targeting election infrastructure, voter or ballot fraud, and other problems intended to convince the public of the elections’ illegitimacy." We offer several tips drawn from the FBI and CISA public service announcement: 

How to avoid fake election results or fake news of voting problems. 

“For information about final election results, rely on state and local government election officials."

"Verify through multiple reliable sources any reports about problems in voting or election results, and consider searching for other reliable sources before sharing such information via social media or other avenues.”

When you are waiting for election results: “Seek out information from trustworthy sources, such as state and local election officials; verify who produced the content; and consider their intent.”

​How to report election misinformation to social media companies or election crimes to the FBI.

“If appropriate, make use of in-platform tools offered by social media companies for reporting suspicious posts that appear to be spreading false or inconsistent information about election-related problems or results.” (See the next section below.)

 “Report potential election crimes—such as disinformation about the manner, time, or place of voting—to the FBI. The FBI encourages victims to report information concerning suspicious or criminal activity to their local field office www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices "

5.  Go : These safe practices protect everyone on social media.

6.  Go : Vote!

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Many states have early voting and mail-in ballots. The U.S. Election Assistance Committee provides a collection of state voting resources at https://www.eac.gov/ .

Sources for the Public Service Announcements

We have studied the available information from U.S. government sources on the Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and on the current threat of foreign interference in the 2020 U.S. election. We have also reviewed the community standards of the major social media companies and their announced efforts to combat election misinformation and foreign interference. The primary sources of our public service announcements come from the following: 

• FBI and CISA, Public Service Announcement, " Foreign Actors and Cybercriminals Likely to Spread Disinformation Regarding 2020 Election Results ," Sept. 22, 2020. 
• Report of the Select Committee on Intelligence United States Senate on Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election, Vol. 2: Russia's Use of Social Media with Additional View 
• U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, HPSCI Minority Open Hearing Exhibits 
• We have also reviewed the community standards of all the major social media companies, as well as news reports of their ongoing efforts to stop election misinformation. 
• We also reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's " Homeland Threat Assessment October 2020. " which warns: " Threats to our election have been another rapidly evolving issue. Nation-states like China, Russia, and Iran will try to use cyber capabilities or foreign influence to compromise or disrupt infrastructure related to the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, aggravate social and racial tensions, undermine trust in U.S. authorities, and criticize our elected officials." (at 5)

Where you can report election crimes

• "The FBI encourages victims to report information concerning suspicious or criminal activity to their local field office":  www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices

Where you can report election misinformation on social media

• Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/help/572838089565953
• Instagram :  https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/2442045389198631?helpref=related
• Pinterest :  https://help.pinterest.com/en/article/report-something-on-pinterest
• Reddit :  https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
• Snap :  https://www.snap.com/en-US/safety/safety-reporting
• TikTok :  https://support.tiktok.com/en/privacy-safety/report-inappropriate-content-default
• Twitch :  https://help.twitch.tv/s/article/how-to-file-a-user-report?language=en_US
• Twitter :  https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/twitter-report-violation
• YouTube :  https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2802027

Our Commitment to Nonpartisanship

The Free Internet Project is a Section 501(c)(3) organization. We steadfastly abide by the requirement of avoiding any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. We believe that, in our democracy, every citizen's right to vote their preference should be respected. We have relied on U.S. government sources, including the current FBI and CISA, and the bipartisan Report of the U.S. Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence, to provide verified information. Our public service announcements are intended as a voter education guide, similar to the Sept. 22, 2020 public service announcement by the FBI and CISA. Nothing in our public service announcements should be interpreted as an endorsement or opposition to any candidate for any public office.  

On September 3, 2020, Mark Zuckerberg published a lengthy post on his personal Facebook profile , detailing dramatic new measures Facebook is undertaking to safeguard the integrity of the U.S. elections. Zuckerberg wrote [we've added topical descriptions in brackets]:

Today, we're announcing additional steps we're taking at Facebook to encourage voting, connect people with authoritative information, and fight misinformation. These changes reflect what we've learned from our elections work over the past four years and the conversations we've had with voting rights experts and our civil rights auditors:

• [Reliable Information at the top of page]  We will put authoritative information from our Voting Information Center at the top of Facebook and Instagram almost every day until the election. This will include video tutorials on how to vote by mail, and information on deadlines for registering and voting in your state. • [No political ads starting the week before the election]  We're going to block new political and issue ads during the final week of the campaign. It's important that campaigns can run get out the vote campaigns, and I generally believe the best antidote to bad speech is more speech, but in the final days of an election there may not be enough time to contest new claims. So in the week before the election, we won't accept new political or issue ads. Advertisers will be able to continue running ads they started running before the final week and adjust the targeting for those ads, but those ads will already be published transparently in our Ads Library so anyone, including fact-checkers and journalists, can scrutinize them. • [Partnering with state election authorities to identify election misinformation]  We're going to extend our work with election officials to remove misinformation about voting. We already committed to partnering with state election authorities to identify and remove false claims about polling conditions in the last 72 hours of the campaign, but given that this election will include large amounts of early voting, we're extending that period to begin now and continue through the election until we have a clear result. We've already consulted with state election officials on whether certain voting claims are accurate. • [Limit the number of chats you can forward on Messenger]  We're reducing the risk of misinformation and harmful content going viral by limiting forwarding on Messenger. You'll still be able to share information about the election, but we'll limit the number of chats you can forward a message to at one time. We've already implemented this in WhatsApp during sensitive periods and have found it to be an effective method of preventing misinformation from spreading in many countries. • [Remove both explicit and implicit voting misinformation] No political ads starting the week before the election] We're expanding our voter suppression policies. We already remove explicit misrepresentations about how or when to vote that could cause someone to lose their opportunity to vote -- for example, saying things like " you can send in your mail ballot up to 3 days after election day ", which is obviously not true. (In most states, mail-in ballots have to be *received* by election day, not just mailed, in order to be counted.) We're now expanding this policy to include implicit misrepresentations about voting too, like "I hear anybody with a driver's license gets a ballot this year", because it might mislead you about what you need to do to get a ballot, even if that wouldn't necessarily invalidate your vote by itself. • [Remove COVID-misinformation to scare voters from voting]  We're putting in place rules against using threats related to Covid-19 to discourage voting. We will remove posts with claims that people will get Covid-19 if they take part in voting. We'll attach a link to authoritative information about Covid-19 to posts that might use the virus to discourage voting, and we're not going to allow this kind of content in ads. Given the unique circumstances of this election, it's especially important that people have accurate information about the many ways to vote safely, and that Covid-19 isn't used to scare people into not exercising their right to vote.

Measure to stop false or premature election results 

Since the pandemic means that many of us will be voting by mail, and since some states may still be counting valid ballots after election day, many experts are predicting that we may not have a final result on election night. It's important that we prepare for this possibility in advance and understand that there could be a period of intense claims and counter-claims as the final results are counted. This could be a very heated period, so we're preparing the following policies to help in the days and weeks after voting ends: • [Facebook Voting Information Center provide information on time it takes to count votes] We'll use the Voting Information Center to prepare people for the possibility that it may take a while to get official results. This information will help people understand that there is nothing illegitimate about not having a result on election night. • [Partner with Reuters and National Election Pool for authoritative information on relection results] We're partnering with Reuters and the National Election Pool to provide authoritative information about election results. We'll show this in the Voting Information Center so it's easily accessible, and we'll notify people proactively as results become available. Importantly, if any candidate or campaign tries to declare victory before the results are in, we'll add a label to their post educating that official results are not yet in and directing people to the official results. •  [Label posts that attempt to deligitimize the election results]  We will attach an informational label to content that seeks to delegitimize the outcome of the election or discuss the legitimacy of voting methods, for example, by claiming that lawful methods of voting will lead to fraud. This label will provide basic authoritative information about the integrity of the election and voting methods. • [Expand Facebook policy against content with violence and harm directed at election officials] We'll enforce our violence and harm policies more broadly by expanding our definition of high-risk people to include election officials in order to help prevent any attempts to pressure or harm them, especially while they're fulfilling their critical obligations to oversee the vote counting. •  [Expand Facebook policy against militia and conspiracy groups organizing or supporting violence] We've already strengthened our enforcement against militias, conspiracy networks like QAnon, and other groups that could be used to organize violence or civil unrest in the period after the elections. We have already removed thousands of these groups and removed even more from being included in our recommendations and search results. We will continue to ramp up enforcement against these groups over the coming weeks. It's important to recognize that there may be legitimate concerns about the electoral process over the coming months. We want to make sure people can speak up if they encounter problems at the polls or have been prevented from voting, but that doesn't extend to spreading misinformation. We'll enforce the policies I outlined above as well as all our existing policies around voter suppression and voting misinformation, but to ensure there are clear and consistent rules, we are not planning to make further changes to our election-related policies between now and the official declaration of the result. In addition to all of this, four years ago we encountered a new threat: coordinated online efforts by foreign governments and individuals to interfere in our elections. This threat hasn't gone away. Just this week, we took down a network of 13 accounts and 2 pages that were trying to mislead Americans and amplify division. We've invested heavily in our security systems and now have some of the most sophisticated teams and systems in the world to prevent these attacks. We've removed more than 100 networks worldwide engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior over the past couple of years, including ahead of major democratic elections. However, we're increasingly seeing attempts to undermine the legitimacy of our elections from within our own borders. I believe our democracy is strong enough to withstand this challenge and deliver a free and fair election -- even if it takes time for every vote to be counted. We've voted during global pandemics before. We can do this. But it's going to take a concerted effort by all of us -- political parties and candidates, election authorities, the media and social networks, and ultimately voters as well -- to live up to our responsibilities. We all have a part to play in making sure that the democratic process works, and that every voter can make their voice heard where it matters most -- at the ballot box.

TOMORROW: In an exclusive interview, @GayleKing speaks with @Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the new steps the social media giant is taking to prepare for the 2020 election. We'll have more Thursday 7-9 a.m. only on @CBSThisMorning . pic.twitter.com/5G45eULT1i — CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) September 2, 2020

Latest News

Before 2022 ends, we are excited to announce the launch of a new project called The Law of Internet Platforms . We will be analyzing two main issues: (1) national and regional laws regulating Internet platforms, and (2) Internet platforms' own policies regulating their users. We are launching a dedicated satellite site for reader convenience.

According to The Financial Times , the EU commissioner Thierry Breton warned Elon Musk that Twitter must follow content moderation rules or risk a ban in EU. The Financial Times reported that Twitter cannot use an "arbitrary" approach, subject to no rules, when reinstating banned users, plus Twitter must moderate disinformation and be subject to an independent audit. The new EU Digital Services Act (DSA) just went into effect on Nov. 16, 2022.

Twitter announced: “Effective November 23, 2022, Twitter is no longer enforcing the COVID-19 misleading information policy.” According to The Verge, Twitter had "suspended a total of 11,230 accounts and removed nearly 100,000 pieces of content since January 2020." The move wasn't unexpected given Elon Musk's "soft" position on content moderation.

The New York Times  reports of how the protests by individuals in China against the country's restrictive "zero COVID" policy has been able to evade China's censorship, to some degree. The  NYT  article  writes: "videos of the marches and rallies have continued to surface on Chinese sites such as WeChat, a chat app, and the short video sharing app, Douyin. Experts say the sheer volume of video clips has likely overwhelmed the automated software and armies of censors China has tasked with policing the internet. 'This is a decisive breach of the big silence,' said Xiao Qiang, a researcher on internet freedom at the University of California, Berkeley."

The Free Internet Project is a nonprofit whose mission is to provide the public with information about the latest legal and technological efforts to protect Internet freedoms around the world.

Founded in 2014, TFIP provides a user-friendly resource for the public to follow and comment on the latest bills, decisions, constitutional amendments, and technologies to protect the “free and open Internet." The Project is based on the belief that the Internet is an amazing tool for sharing knowledge, and that people around the world can learn from and share in the efforts to protect Internet freedoms in other countries.

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We have been approved by the IRS for 501(c)(3) status as a tax-exempt entity.  

• Preferences

Internet Connections - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Internet Connections

1 direct connection. permanent connection, always on. instantaneous access to internet ... traditionally cable tv company. digital transmission facilities ... – powerpoint ppt presentation.

• Gaining Access to Internet
• 1 Direct Connection via LAN
• 2 Dialup Connection
• 3 Broadband Connection
• Permanent Connection, Always On
• Instantaneous Access to Internet
• Connection goes through a Router
• Connects to point in Internet via T lines
• T lines are digital transmission lines
• T1 line 1.5444 Mbps, 24 channels, 64 Kbps
• T3 line 44.736 Mbps, 672 channels
• Temporary connection
• Initiate and terminate each session
• PPP governs establish of session
• Connect to ISP
• Connection via POTS or PSTN
• POTS Plain Old Telephone Service
• Public Switched Telephone Network
• POTS or PSTN
• Twisted Pair Cable limited throughput
• Analog transmission lines built for Voice
• Limiting factor in speed of connection
• Modem 56K (Kbps)
• Converts digital to analog (sending end)
• Converts analog to digital (receiving end)
• Actual Connection Speed
• 33 to 40 Kbps
• Modem technology is not the limiting factor
• POTS is the limiting factor
• IP address temporarily assigned to client by ISP
• IP address gets re-used in another client session
• Two Transmission Methods
• Baseband Transmission (LANs)
• Transmitted signal consumes entire bandwidth
• Only one station can transmit at a time
• Why we need the network access protocols
• Broadband Transmission
• Transmitted signal does not consume the entire BW
• Cable can be subdivided into different channels
• Can carry multiple signals at once
• Can carry a variety of signals
• Voice, Internet Data, Video, etc.
• Multiplexing
• Multiplexer (Mux) subdivides cable into channels
• Each channel can carry a different stream of data
• Frequency Division Multiplexing FDM
• Channels occupy different frequency ranges
• Analog Transmissions
• Time Division Multiplexing TDM
• Logical channels created by time slots
• Each time slot serves a particular source
• Three types of Broadband service
• DSL Digital Subscriber Line
• Broadband Cable or Cable Modem technology
• Broadband service
• Permanent connection, instantly available
• Traditionally the phone company
• Uses digital transmission facilities
• Twisted pair cable with an upgrade
• Subscriber needs DSL modem
• DSL modem encodes data into signals
• Not same encoding as 56K modem
• A variety of DSL offerings
• Some for Business
• Some for Residential
• ADSL Asymmetrical DSL (Consumer)
• Throughput differs with direction
• Download more channels allocated
• More demand for downloading data
• Asymmetrical DSL
• Download 1.5444 Mbps
• Upload 256 Kbps
• DSL Limitation
• Availability not available in all areas
• Performance degrades get further from CO
• Traditionally Cable TV company
• Digital transmission facilities
• Uses mostly coaxial cable, some fiber optic
• Subscriber needs Cable modem
• Modem encodes data as signals
• Encoding different than DSL, Dialup
• Connection speed rivals or exceeds DSL
• Limitations
• Availability
• Cable is shared cable, all users on same cable
• Performance degrades as have more subscribers
• DSL over telephone network switched facility
• Similar concept to satellite TV service
• Earth stations require satellite dishes
• Signals are transmitted via satellites in orbit
• Two variations of service
• One-way service
• Two-way service
• Downloads signals via satellite link
• Uploads uses POTS (like dialup)
• Both Downloads and Uploads use Sat link
• Best characteristic
• Available nearly anywhere
• Worst characteristic
• Propagation delay
• Satellites in geosynchronous orbit
• Approximately 22K miles from earth
• Time to download 10 MB (80 Mbits) file
• Dialup 23 min
• Satellite 3 min
• Cable 26 sec

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Free Internet Of Things PowerPoint Template is a modern and engaging presentation template ideal for tech companies, startups, and educational sessions focusing on the futuristic scope of interconnected devices. This IoT PPT template features a vibrant blue background that evokes a sense of cutting-edge technology and innovation. Dominating the design is a crisp graphic of …

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Accessing the internet

Mar 30, 2019

400 likes | 943 Views

Accessing the internet. By Adekanmi AKINLADE B-Tech MRP ExpertPH. Outlines. Internet / Website Wireless Connections Self Service Tips on Accessing the Log-in Page Assessing the Log-in Page Login Page or “Captive Portal ” Internet Essential Info SDA School of nursing Website

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Presentation Transcript

Accessing the internet By Adekanmi AKINLADE B-Tech MRP ExpertPH

Outlines • Internet / Website • Wireless Connections • Self Service • Tips on Accessing the Log-in Page • Assessing the Log-in Page • Login Page or “Captive Portal” • Internet Essential Info • SDA School of nursing Website • SDA Hospital Website • Alias e-mail essential info • Access Form • IT Workstation • Website Workstation • Technical Assistance

Internet / Website What is internet? Internet in a simple term is an interlinked computer networking worldwide. It is a global network connecting millions of computers. What is a website? Websites are compiled by web pages accessible on the internet. It is a collection of web pages, images, scripts, videos and multimedia files hosted on one or multiple server.

Wireless Connections AHI Hotspot AHI Wireless Home 4 SDASON AHI Admin

Self Service Right Click on your wireless icon below, at the extreme right hand side of your PC. It gives 2 Options • Troubleshoot Problems • Open network and sharing center Then pick the 1st Option and wait for it to repair itself.

Tips on Accessing the Log-in Page IP ADDRESSES: http://192.168.10.1/status http://192.168.2.1 http://192.168.0.2

Assessing the Log-in Page SDA SCHOOL OF NURSING INTERNET WELCOME TO AHI ILE-IFE HOTSPOT (Seventh Day Adventist) To logout, type logout.me on your browser, then click logoff Username Password

Login Page or “Captive Portal”

Internet essential info INTERNET ACCESS for staff USER NAME: ___________________________________ PASSWORD:________________________________ SYSTEM (S) IP ADDRESS (Optional)____________________________ INTERNET ACCESS for student STUDENT USERNAME: stn_____________________ PASSWORD:_______________________________ SYSTEM (S) IP ADDRESS (Optional)____________________________

SDA School of nursing Website www.sdasonife.com STUDENT • Register • Sign in • Accessing the school official alias e-mail e.g. [email protected] student STAFF • Accessing the school official e-mail e.g. [email protected] • Accessing the school official alias e-mail [email protected] staff

SDA Hospital Website www.sdahospitalife.com STAFF • Register • Sign in • Accessing the Hospital official e-mail (key offices) e.g. [email protected], [email protected]. • Accessing the Hospital official alias e-mail for all staff e.g. [email protected] NON-STAFF • Career • Register for professional examinations e.g. BLS ACLS e.t.c • Contact us

Alias e-mail essential info OFFICIAL EMAIL ACCESS Hospital staff alias e-mail: [email protected] School of nursing staff alias. e-mail: [email protected] Student Alias e-mail: [email protected]

Access Form Surname name:____________________________________________________________ Middle name:______________________________________________________________ Last name:________________________________________________________________ Email address:____________________________________________________________ Official mobile number (cug):______________________________________________ Personal mobile number:_________________________________________________ Department:____________________________________________________________ Level (For student)________________________________________________________ Contract, regular staff or student____________________________________________ Department / ward cug line:_____________________________________________ Profession:_________________________________________________________________ Date of employment:________________________________________________________ Proposed day of exit (for contract staff) :______________________________________ INTERNET ACCESS for staff USER NAME: ___________________________________________________________________ PASSWORD: ____________________________________________________________________ SYSTEM (S) IP ADDRESS (Optional)__________________________________________________ INTERNET ACCESS for student STUDENT USERNAME: stn________________________________________________________ PASSWORD:_____________________________________________________________________ NOTE: Your USERNAME & PASSWORD can be numbers or words in small letter. OFFICIAL EMAIL ACCESS Hospital Staff Alias. E-mail:[email protected] School of Nursing Staff Alias. E-mail:[email protected] Student Alias e-mail: [email protected] NOTE: For Staff, your USERNAME appears like this [email protected], OR [email protected] all in low case (small letters) For Student, your USERNAME appears like this [email protected] ______________________ Authorized Signature with Date FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY CLEAREDNOT CLEARED CLEARED NOT CLEARED ___________________ ______________________________ ICT Manager Signature with date Accountant Name, Signature with date emails: [email protected]@sdahospitalife.com Websites:www.sdasonife.comwww.sdahospitalife.com

IT Work station Mikrotik Server Operator / Engineer Client Server Engineer /Technician Client Service

Website Workstation Registrant (Host) Website Designer Website Maintenance / Operator

Technical Assistance Call or SMS +2348078193654 E-mail: [email protected]@sdahospitalife.com

Thanks for listening

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Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Research Article

Functional connectivity changes in the brain of adolescents with internet addiction: A systematic literature review of imaging studies

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Department of Brain Sciences, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom

Roles Conceptualization, Supervision, Validation, Writing – review & editing

* E-mail: [email protected]

Affiliation Behavioural Brain Sciences Unit, Population Policy Practice Programme, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom

• Max L. Y. Chang, 
• Irene O. Lee

• Published: June 4, 2024
• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000022
• Peer Review
• Reader Comments

Internet usage has seen a stark global rise over the last few decades, particularly among adolescents and young people, who have also been diagnosed increasingly with internet addiction (IA). IA impacts several neural networks that influence an adolescent’s behaviour and development. This article issued a literature review on the resting-state and task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies to inspect the consequences of IA on the functional connectivity (FC) in the adolescent brain and its subsequent effects on their behaviour and development. A systematic search was conducted from two databases, PubMed and PsycINFO, to select eligible articles according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Eligibility criteria was especially stringent regarding the adolescent age range (10–19) and formal diagnosis of IA. Bias and quality of individual studies were evaluated. The fMRI results from 12 articles demonstrated that the effects of IA were seen throughout multiple neural networks: a mix of increases/decreases in FC in the default mode network; an overall decrease in FC in the executive control network; and no clear increase or decrease in FC within the salience network and reward pathway. The FC changes led to addictive behaviour and tendencies in adolescents. The subsequent behavioural changes are associated with the mechanisms relating to the areas of cognitive control, reward valuation, motor coordination, and the developing adolescent brain. Our results presented the FC alterations in numerous brain regions of adolescents with IA leading to the behavioural and developmental changes. Research on this topic had a low frequency with adolescent samples and were primarily produced in Asian countries. Future research studies of comparing results from Western adolescent samples provide more insight on therapeutic intervention.

Citation: Chang MLY, Lee IO (2024) Functional connectivity changes in the brain of adolescents with internet addiction: A systematic literature review of imaging studies. PLOS Ment Health 1(1): e0000022. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000022

Editor: Kizito Omona, Uganda Martyrs University, UGANDA

Received: December 29, 2023; Accepted: March 18, 2024; Published: June 4, 2024

Copyright: © 2024 Chang, Lee. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Data Availability: All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting information files.

Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction

The behavioural addiction brought on by excessive internet use has become a rising source of concern [ 1 ] since the last decade. According to clinical studies, individuals with Internet Addiction (IA) or Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) may have a range of biopsychosocial effects and is classified as an impulse-control disorder owing to its resemblance to pathological gambling and substance addiction [ 2 , 3 ]. IA has been defined by researchers as a person’s inability to resist the urge to use the internet, which has negative effects on their psychological well-being as well as their social, academic, and professional lives [ 4 ]. The symptoms can have serious physical and interpersonal repercussions and are linked to mood modification, salience, tolerance, impulsivity, and conflict [ 5 ]. In severe circumstances, people may experience severe pain in their bodies or health issues like carpal tunnel syndrome, dry eyes, irregular eating and disrupted sleep [ 6 ]. Additionally, IA is significantly linked to comorbidities with other psychiatric disorders [ 7 ].

Stevens et al (2021) reviewed 53 studies including 17 countries and reported the global prevalence of IA was 3.05% [ 8 ]. Asian countries had a higher prevalence (5.1%) than European countries (2.7%) [ 8 ]. Strikingly, adolescents and young adults had a global IGD prevalence rate of 9.9% which matches previous literature that reported historically higher prevalence among adolescent populations compared to adults [ 8 , 9 ]. Over 80% of adolescent population in the UK, the USA, and Asia have direct access to the internet [ 10 ]. Children and adolescents frequently spend more time on media (possibly 7 hours and 22 minutes per day) than at school or sleeping [ 11 ]. Developing nations have also shown a sharp rise in teenage internet usage despite having lower internet penetration rates [ 10 ]. Concerns regarding the possible harms that overt internet use could do to adolescents and their development have arisen because of this surge, especially the significant impacts by the COVID-19 pandemic [ 12 ]. The growing prevalence and neurocognitive consequences of IA among adolescents makes this population a vital area of study [ 13 ].

Adolescence is a crucial developmental stage during which people go through significant changes in their biology, cognition, and personalities [ 14 ]. Adolescents’ emotional-behavioural functioning is hyperactivated, which creates risk of psychopathological vulnerability [ 15 ]. In accordance with clinical study results [ 16 ], this emotional hyperactivity is supported by a high level of neuronal plasticity. This plasticity enables teenagers to adapt to the numerous physical and emotional changes that occur during puberty as well as develop communication techniques and gain independence [ 16 ]. However, the strong neuronal plasticity is also associated with risk-taking and sensation seeking [ 17 ] which may lead to IA.

Despite the fact that the precise neuronal mechanisms underlying IA are still largely unclear, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) method has been used by scientists as an important framework to examine the neuropathological changes occurring in IA, particularly in the form of functional connectivity (FC) [ 18 ]. fMRI research study has shown that IA alters both the functional and structural makeup of the brain [ 3 ].

We hypothesise that IA has widespread neurological alteration effects rather than being limited to a few specific brain regions. Further hypothesis holds that according to these alterations of FC between the brain regions or certain neural networks, adolescents with IA would experience behavioural changes. An investigation of these domains could be useful for creating better procedures and standards as well as minimising the negative effects of overt internet use. This literature review aims to summarise and analyse the evidence of various imaging studies that have investigated the effects of IA on the FC in adolescents. This will be addressed through two research questions:

• How does internet addiction affect the functional connectivity in the adolescent brain?
• How is adolescent behaviour and development impacted by functional connectivity changes due to internet addiction?

The review protocol was conducted in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (see S1 Checklist ).

Search strategy and selection process

A systematic search was conducted up until April 2023 from two sources of database, PubMed and PsycINFO, using a range of terms relevant to the title and research questions (see full list of search terms in S1 Appendix ). All the searched articles can be accessed in the S1 Data . The eligible articles were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria used for the present review were: (i) participants in the studies with clinical diagnosis of IA; (ii) participants between the ages of 10 and 19; (iii) imaging research investigations; (iv) works published between January 2013 and April 2023; (v) written in English language; (vi) peer-reviewed papers and (vii) full text. The numbers of articles excluded due to not meeting the inclusion criteria are shown in Fig 1 . Each study’s title and abstract were screened for eligibility.

• PPT PowerPoint slide
• PNG larger image
• TIFF original image

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000022.g001

Quality appraisal

Full texts of all potentially relevant studies were then retrieved and further appraised for eligibility. Furthermore, articles were critically appraised based on the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations) framework to evaluate the individual study for both quality and bias. The subsequent quality levels were then appraised to each article and listed as either low, moderate, or high.

Data collection process

Data that satisfied the inclusion requirements was entered into an excel sheet for data extraction and further selection. An article’s author, publication year, country, age range, participant sample size, sex, area of interest, measures, outcome and article quality were all included in the data extraction spreadsheet. Studies looking at FC, for instance, were grouped, while studies looking at FC in specific area were further divided into sub-groups.

Data synthesis and analysis

Articles were classified according to their location in the brain as well as the network or pathway they were a part of to create a coherent narrative between the selected studies. Conclusions concerning various research trends relevant to particular groupings were drawn from these groupings and subgroupings. To maintain the offered information in a prominent manner, these assertions were entered into the data extraction excel spreadsheet.

With the search performed on the selected databases, 238 articles in total were identified (see Fig 1 ). 15 duplicated articles were eliminated, and another 6 items were removed for various other reasons. Title and abstract screening eliminated 184 articles because they were not in English (number of article, n, = 7), did not include imaging components (n = 47), had adult participants (n = 53), did not have a clinical diagnosis of IA (n = 19), did not address FC in the brain (n = 20), and were published outside the desired timeframe (n = 38). A further 21 papers were eliminated for failing to meet inclusion requirements after the remaining 33 articles underwent full-text eligibility screening. A total of 12 papers were deemed eligible for this review analysis.

Characteristics of the included studies, as depicted in the data extraction sheet in Table 1 provide information of the author(s), publication year, sample size, study location, age range, gender, area of interest, outcome, measures used and quality appraisal. Most of the studies in this review utilised resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques (n = 7), with several studies demonstrating task-based fMRI procedures (n = 3), and the remaining studies utilising whole-brain imaging measures (n = 2). The studies were all conducted in Asiatic countries, specifically coming from China (8), Korea (3), and Indonesia (1). Sample sizes ranged from 12 to 31 participants with most of the imaging studies having comparable sample sizes. Majority of the studies included a mix of male and female participants (n = 8) with several studies having a male only participant pool (n = 3). All except one of the mixed gender studies had a majority male participant pool. One study did not disclose their data on the gender demographics of their experiment. Study years ranged from 2013–2022, with 2 studies in 2013, 3 studies in 2014, 3 studies in 2015, 1 study in 2017, 1 study in 2020, 1 study in 2021, and 1 study in 2022.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000022.t001

(1) How does internet addiction affect the functional connectivity in the adolescent brain?

The included studies were organised according to the brain region or network that they were observing. The specific networks affected by IA were the default mode network, executive control system, salience network and reward pathway. These networks are vital components of adolescent behaviour and development [ 31 ]. The studies in each section were then grouped into subsections according to their specific brain regions within their network.

Default mode network (DMN)/reward network.

Out of the 12 studies, 3 have specifically studied the default mode network (DMN), and 3 observed whole-brain FC that partially included components of the DMN. The effect of IA on the various centres of the DMN was not unilaterally the same. The findings illustrate a complex mix of increases and decreases in FC depending on the specific region in the DMN (see Table 2 and Fig 2 ). The alteration of FC in posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in the DMN was the most frequently reported area in adolescents with IA, which involved in attentional processes [ 32 ], but Lee et al. (2020) additionally found alterations of FC in other brain regions, such as anterior insula cortex, a node in the DMN that controls the integration of motivational and cognitive processes [ 20 ].

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000022.g002

The overall changes of functional connectivity in the brain network including default mode network (DMN), executive control network (ECN), salience network (SN) and reward network. IA = Internet Addiction, FC = Functional Connectivity.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000022.t002

Ding et al. (2013) revealed altered FC in the cerebellum, the middle temporal gyrus, and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) [ 22 ]. They found that the bilateral inferior parietal lobule, left superior parietal lobule, and right inferior temporal gyrus had decreased FC, while the bilateral posterior lobe of the cerebellum and the medial temporal gyrus had increased FC [ 22 ]. The right middle temporal gyrus was found to have 111 cluster voxels (t = 3.52, p<0.05) and the right inferior parietal lobule was found to have 324 cluster voxels (t = -4.07, p<0.05) with an extent threshold of 54 voxels (figures above this threshold are deemed significant) [ 22 ]. Additionally, there was a negative correlation, with 95 cluster voxels (p<0.05) between the FC of the left superior parietal lobule and the PCC with the Chen Internet Addiction Scores (CIAS) which are used to determine the severity of IA [ 22 ]. On the other hand, in regions of the reward system, connection with the PCC was positively connected with CIAS scores [ 22 ]. The most significant was the right praecuneus with 219 cluster voxels (p<0.05) [ 22 ]. Wang et al. (2017) also discovered that adolescents with IA had 33% less FC in the left inferior parietal lobule and 20% less FC in the dorsal mPFC [ 24 ]. A potential connection between the effects of substance use and overt internet use is revealed by the generally decreased FC in these areas of the DMN of teenagers with drug addiction and IA [ 35 ].

The putamen was one of the main regions of reduced FC in adolescents with IA [ 19 ]. The putamen and the insula-operculum demonstrated significant group differences regarding functional connectivity with a cluster size of 251 and an extent threshold of 250 (Z = 3.40, p<0.05) [ 19 ]. The molecular mechanisms behind addiction disorders have been intimately connected to decreased striatal dopaminergic function [ 19 ], making this function crucial.

Executive Control Network (ECN).

5 studies out of 12 have specifically viewed parts of the executive control network (ECN) and 3 studies observed whole-brain FC. The effects of IA on the ECN’s constituent parts were consistent across all the studies examined for this analysis (see Table 2 and Fig 3 ). The results showed a notable decline in all the ECN’s major centres. Li et al. (2014) used fMRI imaging and a behavioural task to study response inhibition in adolescents with IA [ 25 ] and found decreased activation at the striatum and frontal gyrus, particularly a reduction in FC at inferior frontal gyrus, in the IA group compared to controls [ 25 ]. The inferior frontal gyrus showed a reduction in FC in comparison to the controls with a cluster size of 71 (t = 4.18, p<0.05) [ 25 ]. In addition, the frontal-basal ganglia pathways in the adolescents with IA showed little effective connection between areas and increased degrees of response inhibition [ 25 ].

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000022.g003

Lin et al. (2015) found that adolescents with IA demonstrated disrupted corticostriatal FC compared to controls [ 33 ]. The corticostriatal circuitry experienced decreased connectivity with the caudate, bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), as well as the striatum and frontal gyrus [ 33 ]. The inferior ventral striatum showed significantly reduced FC with the subcallosal ACC and caudate head with cluster size of 101 (t = -4.64, p<0.05) [ 33 ]. Decreased FC in the caudate implies dysfunction of the corticostriatal-limbic circuitry involved in cognitive and emotional control [ 36 ]. The decrease in FC in both the striatum and frontal gyrus is related to inhibitory control, a common deficit seen with disruptions with the ECN [ 33 ].

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), ACC, and right supplementary motor area (SMA) of the prefrontal cortex were all found to have significantly decreased grey matter volume [ 29 ]. In addition, the DLPFC, insula, temporal cortices, as well as significant subcortical regions like the striatum and thalamus, showed decreased FC [ 29 ]. According to Tremblay (2009), the striatum plays a significant role in the processing of rewards, decision-making, and motivation [ 37 ]. Chen et al. (2020) reported that the IA group demonstrated increased impulsivity as well as decreased reaction inhibition using a Stroop colour-word task [ 26 ]. Furthermore, Chen et al. (2020) observed that the left DLPFC and dorsal striatum experienced a negative connection efficiency value, specifically demonstrating that the dorsal striatum activity suppressed the left DLPFC [ 27 ].

Salience network (SN).

Out of the 12 chosen studies, 3 studies specifically looked at the salience network (SN) and 3 studies have observed whole-brain FC. Relative to the DMN and ECN, the findings on the SN were slightly sparser. Despite this, adolescents with IA demonstrated a moderate decrease in FC, as well as other measures like fibre connectivity and cognitive control, when compared to healthy control (see Table 2 and Fig 4 ).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000022.g004

Xing et al. (2014) used both dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and insula to test FC changes in the SN of adolescents with IA and found decreased structural connectivity in the SN as well as decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) that correlated to behaviour performance in the Stroop colour word-task [ 21 ]. They examined the dACC and insula to determine whether the SN’s disrupted connectivity may be linked to the SN’s disruption of regulation, which would explain the impaired cognitive control seen in adolescents with IA. However, researchers did not find significant FC differences in the SN when compared to the controls [ 21 ]. These results provided evidence for the structural changes in the interconnectivity within SN in adolescents with IA.

Wang et al. (2017) investigated network interactions between the DMN, ECN, SN and reward pathway in IA subjects [ 24 ] (see Fig 5 ), and found 40% reduction of FC between the DMN and specific regions of the SN, such as the insula, in comparison to the controls (p = 0.008) [ 24 ]. The anterior insula and dACC are two areas that are impacted by this altered FC [ 24 ]. This finding supports the idea that IA has similar neurobiological abnormalities with other addictive illnesses, which is in line with a study that discovered disruptive changes in the SN and DMN’s interaction in cocaine addiction [ 38 ]. The insula has also been linked to the intensity of symptoms and has been implicated in the development of IA [ 39 ].

“+” indicates an increase in behaivour; “-”indicates a decrease in behaviour; solid arrows indicate a direct network interaction; and the dotted arrows indicates a reduction in network interaction. This diagram depicts network interactions juxtaposed with engaging in internet related behaviours. Through the neural interactions, the diagram illustrates how the networks inhibit or amplify internet usage and vice versa. Furthermore, it demonstrates how the SN mediates both the DMN and ECN.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000022.g005

(2) How is adolescent behaviour and development impacted by functional connectivity changes due to internet addiction?

The findings that IA individuals demonstrate an overall decrease in FC in the DMN is supported by numerous research [ 24 ]. Drug addict populations also exhibited similar decline in FC in the DMN [ 40 ]. The disruption of attentional orientation and self-referential processing for both substance and behavioural addiction was then hypothesised to be caused by DMN anomalies in FC [ 41 ].

In adolescents with IA, decline of FC in the parietal lobule affects visuospatial task-related behaviour [ 22 ], short-term memory [ 42 ], and the ability of controlling attention or restraining motor responses during response inhibition tests [ 42 ]. Cue-induced gaming cravings are influenced by the DMN [ 43 ]. A visual processing area called the praecuneus links gaming cues to internal information [ 22 ]. A meta-analysis found that the posterior cingulate cortex activity of individuals with IA during cue-reactivity tasks was connected with their gaming time [ 44 ], suggesting that excessive gaming may impair DMN function and that individuals with IA exert more cognitive effort to control it. Findings for the behavioural consequences of FC changes in the DMN illustrate its underlying role in regulating impulsivity, self-monitoring, and cognitive control.

Furthermore, Ding et al. (2013) reported an activation of components of the reward pathway, including areas like the nucleus accumbens, praecuneus, SMA, caudate, and thalamus, in connection to the DMN [ 22 ]. The increased FC of the limbic and reward networks have been confirmed to be a major biomarker for IA [ 45 , 46 ]. The increased reinforcement in these networks increases the strength of reward stimuli and makes it more difficult for other networks, namely the ECN, to down-regulate the increased attention [ 29 ] (See Fig 5 ).

Executive control network (ECN).

The numerous IA-affected components in the ECN have a role in a variety of behaviours that are connected to both response inhibition and emotional regulation [ 47 ]. For instance, brain regions like the striatum, which are linked to impulsivity and the reward system, are heavily involved in the act of playing online games [ 47 ]. Online game play activates the striatum, which suppresses the left DLPFC in ECN [ 48 ]. As a result, people with IA may find it difficult to control their want to play online games [ 48 ]. This system thus causes impulsive and protracted gaming conduct, lack of inhibitory control leading to the continued use of internet in an overt manner despite a variety of negative effects, personal distress, and signs of psychological dependence [ 33 ] (See Fig 5 ).

Wang et al. (2017) report that disruptions in cognitive control networks within the ECN are frequently linked to characteristics of substance addiction [ 24 ]. With samples that were addicted to heroin and cocaine, previous studies discovered abnormal FC in the ECN and the PFC [ 49 ]. Electronic gaming is known to promote striatal dopamine release, similar to drug addiction [ 50 ]. According to Drgonova and Walther (2016), it is hypothesised that dopamine could stimulate the reward system of the striatum in the brain, leading to a loss of impulse control and a failure of prefrontal lobe executive inhibitory control [ 51 ]. In the end, IA’s resemblance to drug use disorders may point to vital biomarkers or underlying mechanisms that explain how cognitive control and impulsive behaviour are related.

A task-related fMRI study found that the decrease in FC between the left DLPFC and dorsal striatum was congruent with an increase in impulsivity in adolescents with IA [ 26 ]. The lack of response inhibition from the ECN results in a loss of control over internet usage and a reduced capacity to display goal-directed behaviour [ 33 ]. Previous studies have linked the alteration of the ECN in IA with higher cue reactivity and impaired ability to self-regulate internet specific stimuli [ 52 ].

Salience network (SN)/ other networks.

Xing et al. (2014) investigated the significance of the SN regarding cognitive control in teenagers with IA [ 21 ]. The SN, which is composed of the ACC and insula, has been demonstrated to control dynamic changes in other networks to modify cognitive performance [ 21 ]. The ACC is engaged in conflict monitoring and cognitive control, according to previous neuroimaging research [ 53 ]. The insula is a region that integrates interoceptive states into conscious feelings [ 54 ]. The results from Xing et al. (2014) showed declines in the SN regarding its structural connectivity and fractional anisotropy, even though they did not observe any appreciable change in FC in the IA participants [ 21 ]. Due to the small sample size, the results may have indicated that FC methods are not sensitive enough to detect the significant functional changes [ 21 ]. However, task performance behaviours associated with impaired cognitive control in adolescents with IA were correlated with these findings [ 21 ]. Our comprehension of the SN’s broader function in IA can be enhanced by this relationship.

Research study supports the idea that different psychological issues are caused by the functional reorganisation of expansive brain networks, such that strong association between SN and DMN may provide neurological underpinnings at the system level for the uncontrollable character of internet-using behaviours [ 24 ]. In the study by Wang et al. (2017), the decreased interconnectivity between the SN and DMN, comprising regions such the DLPFC and the insula, suggests that adolescents with IA may struggle to effectively inhibit DMN activity during internally focused processing, leading to poorly managed desires or preoccupations to use the internet [ 24 ] (See Fig 5 ). Subsequently, this may cause a failure to inhibit DMN activity as well as a restriction of ECN functionality [ 55 ]. As a result, the adolescent experiences an increased salience and sensitivity towards internet addicting cues making it difficult to avoid these triggers [ 56 ].

The primary aim of this review was to present a summary of how internet addiction impacts on the functional connectivity of adolescent brain. Subsequently, the influence of IA on the adolescent brain was compartmentalised into three sections: alterations of FC at various brain regions, specific FC relationships, and behavioural/developmental changes. Overall, the specific effects of IA on the adolescent brain were not completely clear, given the variety of FC changes. However, there were overarching behavioural, network and developmental trends that were supported that provided insight on adolescent development.

The first hypothesis that was held about this question was that IA was widespread and would be regionally similar to substance-use and gambling addiction. After conducting a review of the information in the chosen articles, the hypothesis was predictably supported. The regions of the brain affected by IA are widespread and influence multiple networks, mainly DMN, ECN, SN and reward pathway. In the DMN, there was a complex mix of increases and decreases within the network. However, in the ECN, the alterations of FC were more unilaterally decreased, but the findings of SN and reward pathway were not quite clear. Overall, the FC changes within adolescents with IA are very much network specific and lay a solid foundation from which to understand the subsequent behaviour changes that arise from the disorder.

The second hypothesis placed emphasis on the importance of between network interactions and within network interactions in the continuation of IA and the development of its behavioural symptoms. The results from the findings involving the networks, DMN, SN, ECN and reward system, support this hypothesis (see Fig 5 ). Studies confirm the influence of all these neural networks on reward valuation, impulsivity, salience to stimuli, cue reactivity and other changes that alter behaviour towards the internet use. Many of these changes are connected to the inherent nature of the adolescent brain.

There are multiple explanations that underlie the vulnerability of the adolescent brain towards IA related urges. Several of them have to do with the inherent nature and underlying mechanisms of the adolescent brain. Children’s emotional, social, and cognitive capacities grow exponentially during childhood and adolescence [ 57 ]. Early teenagers go through a process called “social reorientation” that is characterised by heightened sensitivity to social cues and peer connections [ 58 ]. Adolescents’ improvements in their social skills coincide with changes in their brains’ anatomical and functional organisation [ 59 ]. Functional hubs exhibit growing connectivity strength [ 60 ], suggesting increased functional integration during development. During this time, the brain’s functional networks change from an anatomically dominant structure to a scattered architecture [ 60 ].

The adolescent brain is very responsive to synaptic reorganisation and experience cues [ 61 ]. As a result, one of the distinguishing traits of the maturation of adolescent brains is the variation in neural network trajectory [ 62 ]. Important weaknesses of the adolescent brain that may explain the neurobiological change brought on by external stimuli are illustrated by features like the functional gaps between networks and the inadequate segregation of networks [ 62 ].

The implications of these findings towards adolescent behaviour are significant. Although the exact changes and mechanisms are not fully clear, the observed changes in functional connectivity have the capacity of influencing several aspects of adolescent development. For example, functional connectivity has been utilised to investigate attachment styles in adolescents [ 63 ]. It was observed that adolescent attachment styles were negatively associated with caudate-prefrontal connectivity, but positively with the putamen-visual area connectivity [ 63 ]. Both named areas were also influenced by the onset of internet addiction, possibly providing a connection between the two. Another study associated neighbourhood/socioeconomic disadvantage with functional connectivity alterations in the DMN and dorsal attention network [ 64 ]. The study also found multivariate brain behaviour relationships between the altered/disadvantaged functional connectivity and mental health and cognition [ 64 ]. This conclusion supports the notion that the functional connectivity alterations observed in IA are associated with specific adolescent behaviours as well as the fact that functional connectivity can be utilised as a platform onto which to compare various neurologic conditions.

Limitations/strengths

There were several limitations that were related to the conduction of the review as well as the data extracted from the articles. Firstly, the study followed a systematic literature review design when analysing the fMRI studies. The data pulled from these imaging studies were namely qualitative and were subject to bias contrasting the quantitative nature of statistical analysis. Components of the study, such as sample sizes, effect sizes, and demographics were not weighted or controlled. The second limitation brought up by a similar review was the lack of a universal consensus of terminology given IA [ 47 ]. Globally, authors writing about this topic use an array of terminology including online gaming addiction, internet addiction, internet gaming disorder, and problematic internet use. Often, authors use multiple terms interchangeably which makes it difficult to depict the subtle similarities and differences between the terms.

Reviewing the explicit limitations in each of the included studies, two major limitations were brought up in many of the articles. One was relating to the cross-sectional nature of the included studies. Due to the inherent qualities of a cross-sectional study, the studies did not provide clear evidence that IA played a causal role towards the development of the adolescent brain. While several biopsychosocial factors mediate these interactions, task-based measures that combine executive functions with imaging results reinforce the assumed connection between the two that is utilised by the papers studying IA. Another limitation regarded the small sample size of the included studies, which averaged to around 20 participants. The small sample size can influence the generalisation of the results as well as the effectiveness of statistical analyses. Ultimately, both included study specific limitations illustrate the need for future studies to clarify the causal relationship between the alterations of FC and the development of IA.

Another vital limitation was the limited number of studies applying imaging techniques for investigations on IA in adolescents were a uniformly Far East collection of studies. The reason for this was because the studies included in this review were the only fMRI studies that were found that adhered to the strict adolescent age restriction. The adolescent age range given by the WHO (10–19 years old) [ 65 ] was strictly followed. It is important to note that a multitude of studies found in the initial search utilised an older adolescent demographic that was slightly higher than the WHO age range and had a mean age that was outside of the limitations. As a result, the results of this review are biased and based on the 12 studies that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Regarding the global nature of the research, although the journals that the studies were published in were all established western journals, the collection of studies were found to all originate from Asian countries, namely China and Korea. Subsequently, it pulls into question if the results and measures from these studies are generalisable towards a western population. As stated previously, Asian countries have a higher prevalence of IA, which may be the reasoning to why the majority of studies are from there [ 8 ]. However, in an additional search including other age groups, it was found that a high majority of all FC studies on IA were done in Asian countries. Interestingly, western papers studying fMRI FC were primarily focused on gambling and substance-use addiction disorders. The western papers on IA were less focused on fMRI FC but more on other components of IA such as sleep, game-genre, and other non-imaging related factors. This demonstrated an overall lack of western fMRI studies on IA. It is important to note that both western and eastern fMRI studies on IA presented an overall lack on children and adolescents in general.

Despite the several limitations, this review provided a clear reflection on the state of the data. The strengths of the review include the strict inclusion/exclusion criteria that filtered through studies and only included ones that contained a purely adolescent sample. As a result, the information presented in this review was specific to the review’s aims. Given the sparse nature of adolescent specific fMRI studies on the FC changes in IA, this review successfully provided a much-needed niche representation of adolescent specific results. Furthermore, the review provided a thorough functional explanation of the DMN, ECN, SN and reward pathway making it accessible to readers new to the topic.

Future directions and implications

Through the search process of the review, there were more imaging studies focused on older adolescence and adulthood. Furthermore, finding a review that covered a strictly adolescent population, focused on FC changes, and was specifically depicting IA, was proven difficult. Many related reviews, such as Tereshchenko and Kasparov (2019), looked at risk factors related to the biopsychosocial model, but did not tackle specific alterations in specific structural or functional changes in the brain [ 66 ]. Weinstein (2017) found similar structural and functional results as well as the role IA has in altering response inhibition and reward valuation in adolescents with IA [ 47 ]. Overall, the accumulated findings only paint an emerging pattern which aligns with similar substance-use and gambling disorders. Future studies require more specificity in depicting the interactions between neural networks, as well as more literature on adolescent and comorbid populations. One future field of interest is the incorporation of more task-based fMRI data. Advances in resting-state fMRI methods have yet to be reflected or confirmed in task-based fMRI methods [ 62 ]. Due to the fact that network connectivity is shaped by different tasks, it is critical to confirm that the findings of the resting state fMRI studies also apply to the task based ones [ 62 ]. Subsequently, work in this area will confirm if intrinsic connectivity networks function in resting state will function similarly during goal directed behaviour [ 62 ]. An elevated focus on adolescent populations as well as task-based fMRI methodology will help uncover to what extent adolescent network connectivity maturation facilitates behavioural and cognitive development [ 62 ].

A treatment implication is the potential usage of bupropion for the treatment of IA. Bupropion has been previously used to treat patients with gambling disorder and has been effective in decreasing overall gambling behaviour as well as money spent while gambling [ 67 ]. Bae et al. (2018) found a decrease in clinical symptoms of IA in line with a 12-week bupropion treatment [ 31 ]. The study found that bupropion altered the FC of both the DMN and ECN which in turn decreased impulsivity and attentional deficits for the individuals with IA [ 31 ]. Interventions like bupropion illustrate the importance of understanding the fundamental mechanisms that underlie disorders like IA.

The goal for this review was to summarise the current literature on functional connectivity changes in adolescents with internet addiction. The findings answered the primary research questions that were directed at FC alterations within several networks of the adolescent brain and how that influenced their behaviour and development. Overall, the research demonstrated several wide-ranging effects that influenced the DMN, SN, ECN, and reward centres. Additionally, the findings gave ground to important details such as the maturation of the adolescent brain, the high prevalence of Asian originated studies, and the importance of task-based studies in this field. The process of making this review allowed for a thorough understanding IA and adolescent brain interactions.

Given the influx of technology and media in the lives and education of children and adolescents, an increase in prevalence and focus on internet related behavioural changes is imperative towards future children/adolescent mental health. Events such as COVID-19 act to expose the consequences of extended internet usage on the development and lifestyle of specifically young people. While it is important for parents and older generations to be wary of these changes, it is important for them to develop a base understanding of the issue and not dismiss it as an all-bad or all-good scenario. Future research on IA will aim to better understand the causal relationship between IA and psychological symptoms that coincide with it. The current literature regarding functional connectivity changes in adolescents is limited and requires future studies to test with larger sample sizes, comorbid populations, and populations outside Far East Asia.

This review aimed to demonstrate the inner workings of how IA alters the connection between the primary behavioural networks in the adolescent brain. Predictably, the present answers merely paint an unfinished picture that does not necessarily depict internet usage as overwhelmingly positive or negative. Alternatively, the research points towards emerging patterns that can direct individuals on the consequences of certain variables or risk factors. A clearer depiction of the mechanisms of IA would allow physicians to screen and treat the onset of IA more effectively. Clinically, this could be in the form of more streamlined and accurate sessions of CBT or family therapy, targeting key symptoms of IA. Alternatively clinicians could potentially prescribe treatment such as bupropion to target FC in certain regions of the brain. Furthermore, parental education on IA is another possible avenue of prevention from a public health standpoint. Parents who are aware of the early signs and onset of IA will more effectively handle screen time, impulsivity, and minimize the risk factors surrounding IA.

Additionally, an increased attention towards internet related fMRI research is needed in the West, as mentioned previously. Despite cultural differences, Western countries may hold similarities to the eastern countries with a high prevalence of IA, like China and Korea, regarding the implications of the internet and IA. The increasing influence of the internet on the world may contribute to an overall increase in the global prevalence of IA. Nonetheless, the high saturation of eastern studies in this field should be replicated with a Western sample to determine if the same FC alterations occur. A growing interest in internet related research and education within the West will hopefully lead to the knowledge of healthier internet habits and coping strategies among parents with children and adolescents. Furthermore, IA research has the potential to become a crucial proxy for which to study adolescent brain maturation and development.

Supporting information

S1 checklist. prisma checklist..

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000022.s001

S1 Appendix. Search strategies with all the terms.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000022.s002

S1 Data. Article screening records with details of categorized content.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmen.0000022.s003

Acknowledgments

The authors thank https://www.stockio.com/free-clipart/brain-01 (with attribution to Stockio.com); and https://www.rawpixel.com/image/6442258/png-sticker-vintage for the free images used to create Figs 2 – 4 .

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Myanmar’s embattled military government cracks down on free flow of news by blocking VPNs

FILE - A Buddhist monk flashes the three-fingered salute holding is smart phone as he watches protesters march in Yangon, Myanmar on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. Myanmar’s military government has launched a major effort in June of 2024, to block free communication on the Internet, shutting off access to virtual private networks -- VPNs -- which can be used to circumvent blockages of banned websites and services. (AP Photo, File)

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BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government has launched a major effort to block free communication on the Internet, shutting off access to virtual private networks, or VPNs, which can be used to circumvent blockages of banned websites and services.

The attempt to restrict access to information began at the end of May, according to mobile phone operators, internet service providers, a major opposition group and media reports.

The military government that took power in February 2021 after ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi has made several previous fitful attempts to throttle traffic on the internet , especially in the months immediately after their takeover.

Reports in local media say the attack on internet usage includes random street searches of people’s mobile phones to check for VPN applications, with a fine if any are found, though it is unclear if payments are an official measure.

On Friday, the Burmese-language service of U.S. Government-funded Radio Free Asia reported that about 25 people from Myanmar’s central coastal Ayeyarwady region were arrested and fined by security forces this week after VPN apps were found on their mobile phones.

As the army faces strong armed challenges from pro-democracy guerrillas across the country in what amounts to a civil war, it has also made a regular practice of shutting down civilian communications in areas where fighting is going on. While this may serve tactical purposes, it also makes it hard for evidence of alleged human rights abuses to become public.

According to a report released last month by Athan, a freedom of expression advocacy group in Myanmar, nearly 90 of 330 townships across the country have had internet access or phone service — or both — cut off by the authorities.

Resistance that arose to the 2021 army takeover relied heavily on social media, especially Facebook, to organize street protests. As nonviolent resistance escalated into armed struggle and other independent media were shut down or forced underground, the need for online information increased.

The resistance scored a victory in the cybersphere when Facebook and other major social media platforms banned members of the Myanmar military, because of their alleged violations of human and civil rights, and also blocked ads from most military-linked commercial entities.

This year, widely used free VPN services started failing at the end of May, with users getting messages that they could not be connected, keeping them from social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp and some websites. VPNs connect users to their desired sites through third-party computers, effectively making it almost impossible for internet service providers and snooping governments to see what the users are actually connecting to.

Internet users, including online retail sellers, have been complaining for the past two weeks of major slowdowns, saying they were not able to watch or upload videos and posts or send messages easily.

Operators of Myanmar’s top telecom companies MPT, Ooredoo, Atom and the military-backed Mytel, as well as fiber internet services, told The Associated Press on Friday that access to Facebook, Instagram, X, WhatsApp and VPN services was banned nationwide at the end of May on the order of the Transport and Communications Ministry.

The AP tried to contact a spokesperson for the Transport and Communications Ministry for comment but received no response.

The operators said VPNs are not currently authorized for use, but suggested to users they try rotating through different services to see if any work.

A test by the AP of more than two dozen VPN apps found that only one could hold a connection, and it was very slow.

The military government has not yet publicly announced the ban on VPNs.

The military government in late 2021 drafted but did not enact a cybersecurity law to punish anyone who uses a VPN without permis sion from the Transport and Communications Ministry. It calls for a maximum three-year prison sentence and a fine of 5,000,000 Myanmar kyats ($1,125 at the free market exchange rate) or both.

Khit Thit, an online news service sympathetic to the resistance movement, reported earlier this month that army generals from the Transport and Communications Ministry, along with a Myanmar technology company and Chinese communications experts, collaborated on measures to block VPNs.

China is infamous for having a very tight firewall to control Internet traffic and has warm relations with the military government.

The National Unity Government, a major opposition organization that calls itself the country’s legitimate government, issued a statement on June 8 condemning the actions of the military government “that limit and block the basic human rights of the people” and vowed to continue “to build an independent internet network in places free from the control of the terrorist military.”