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Expanding Freedom and Democracy
Freedom on the Net 2025

China

Not Free
9
100
A Obstacles to Access 7 25
B Limits on Content 2 35
C Violations of User Rights 0 40
Last Year's Score & Status
9 100 Not Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
China_hero

header1 Key Developments, June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025

Internet users in China have faced the world’s worst conditions for internet freedom for over a decade. People face severe legal and extralegal repercussions for online activities like sharing news stories, talking about their religious beliefs, and communicating with family members and others overseas. Authorities wield immense power to censor and manipulate online content.

  • Authorities disconnected journalist Gao Yu from fixed and mobile internet in August 2024 in retaliation for her online commentary (A3).1
  • Researchers found that authorities in Henan Province had implemented a website-blocking system to prevent people in the region from accessing certain content, in addition to the thousands of domains blocked by the national-level Great Firewall (B1).2
  • Censors removed social media posts on sensitive issues, including discussions about a vehicular attack that killed dozens of people in Zhuhai in November 2024 and criticism of a new digital identity system.3 After authorities urged platforms to clean up material that contained problems such as “provoking extreme opposition, fabricating false information, promoting vulgarity, and advocating bad culture,” among others, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced in early 2025 that platforms had removed more than a million pieces of content (B2).4
  • People mobilized online in support of various causes, despite the potential for censorship and other repercussions. In July 2024, online and offline protests led the central government to weaken policy changes that would have hurt investors who previously held shares in now-bankrupt companies (B8).5
  • In February 2025, it was reported that six activists had received jail sentences on charges of “subverting state power” for organizing an opposition political party; the charging document highlighted activities carried out primarily on the internet. The prison sentences, which ranged from 3 to 12 years, were upheld in a September 2024 ruling (C3).6
  • In May 2025, the CAC and Ministry of Public Service introduced the National Online Identity Authentication Public Service, a digital identity system under which users would provide official government documents to register for internet services. According the May 2025 measures, the system would allow users to verify their identities—which is mandatory to post on social media websites and register domains—while shielding personal information from internet providers.7 The measures took force in July 2025, after the coverage period, though major platforms implemented the system after a draft version released in July 2024. Rights activists criticized the move as a means of increasing state control over the internet and undermining online anonymity (C4 and C6).8

header2 Political Overview

China is ruled by a repressive regime. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) maintains tight control over the state bureaucracy, the media, online speech, religious practice, universities, businesses, and civil society. CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping has consolidated personal power to a degree not seen in China for decades. Following a multiyear crackdown on political dissent, independent nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and human rights defenders, China’s independent civil society has been largely decimated.

This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.

A Obstacles to Access

A1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do infrastructural limitations restrict access to the internet or the speed and quality of internet connections? 5.005 6.006
A2 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? 1.001 3.003
A3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the government exercise technical or legal control over internet infrastructure for the purposes of restricting connectivity? 1.001 6.006
A4 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are there legal, regulatory, or economic obstacles that restrict the diversity of service providers? 0.000 6.006
A5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do national regulatory bodies that oversee service providers and digital technology fail to operate in a free, fair, and independent manner? 0.000 4.004

B Limits on Content

B1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the state block or filter, or compel service providers to block or filter, internet content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 0.000 6.006
B2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do state or nonstate actors employ legal, administrative, or other means to force publishers, content hosts, or digital platforms to delete content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 0.000 4.004
B3 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do restrictions on the internet and digital content lack transparency, proportionality to the stated aims, or an independent appeals process? 0.000 4.004
B4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? 0.000 4.004
B5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are online sources of information controlled or manipulated by the government or other powerful actors to advance a particular political interest? 0.000 4.004
B6 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are there economic or regulatory constraints that negatively affect users’ ability to publish content online? 0.000 3.003
B7 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? 1.001 4.004
B8 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do conditions impede users’ ability to mobilize, form communities, and campaign, particularly on political and social issues? 1.001 6.006

C Violations of User Rights

C1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do the constitution or other laws fail to protect rights such as freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom, including on the internet, and are they enforced by a judiciary that lacks independence? 0.000 6.006
C2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are there laws that assign criminal penalties or civil liability for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 0.000 4.004
C3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are individuals penalized for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 0.000 6.006
C4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? 0.000 4.004
C5 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on users’ right to privacy? 0.000 6.006
C6 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does monitoring and collection of user data by service providers and other technology companies infringe on users’ right to privacy? 0.000 6.006
C7 1.00-5.00 pts0-5 pts
Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities? 0.000 5.005
C8 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are websites, governmental and private entities, service providers, or individual users subject to widespread hacking and other forms of cyberattack? 0.000 3.003

On China

See all data, scores & information on this country or territory.

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Country Facts

  • Population

    1,412,175,000

  • Global Freedom Score

    9 100 not free

  • Internet Freedom Score

    9 100 not free

  • Freedom in the World Status

    Not Free

  • Networks Restricted

    Yes

  • Websites Blocked

    Yes

  • Pro-government Commentators

    Yes

  • Users Arrested

    Yes