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Expanding Freedom and Democracy
Freedom on the Net 2025

Ecuador

Partly Free
63
100
A Obstacles to Access 17 25
B Limits on Content 24 35
C Violations of User Rights 22 40
Last Year's Score & Status
63 100 Partly Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
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header1 Key Developments, June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025

Conditions for internet freedom remained largely unchanged in Ecuador during the coverage period. Amid broader concerns about criminal violence in the country, digital journalists and other prominent online figures continued to face severe threats to their physical safety, especially when covering elections and politically sensitive topics such as corruption, environmental issues, and drug trafficking.1 While the government did not engage in technical censorship, internet users sometimes came under pressure from both state and nonstate actors in response to their online activity.

  • Internet connectivity was significantly disrupted by widespread electricity outages, which were the result of drought and inadequate maintenance of hydroelectric power plants. In September 2024, scheduled blackouts increased to 14 hours per day nationwide and remained in place for at least two months (A1).2
  • Copyright law was used to censor politically sensitive content, especially at the municipal level. In December 2024, for example, the social media platform Facebook removed several posts published by three media outlets due to accusations of copyright infringement. The posts contained reporting on alleged corruption in Morona Canton, and two of the outlets’ Facebook pages were removed entirely (B2).3
  • Coordinated campaigns to spread false and misleading information proliferated online during the February 2025 general elections and an April presidential runoff; the operations made use of paid advertisements, automated “bot” accounts, and content generated with artificial intelligence tools.4 Both of the presidential runoff candidates were targeted with narratives—often amplified by networks of inauthentic profiles—that focused on xenophobia against Venezuelans, rumors of changes to Ecuador’s currency policy, and alleged links to drug trafficking and organized crime (B5).5
  • Electoral candidates filed lawsuits against online journalists during the coverage period. In February 2025, a legislative candidate lodged a criminal complaint of “discredit or dishonor” against Boris Sarango, a journalist for the digital outlet Primer Reporte. The outlet had published a collaborative investigation into the backgrounds of more than 2,000 candidates (C3).6
  • Journalists continued to face threats and other forms of harassment. In September 2024, the founders of a digital media platform that investigated corruption announced that they had fled the country and were seeking asylum (C7).7

header2 Political Overview

Ecuador holds regular, competitive elections, but the influence of organized crime and related violence have increased significantly in recent years, affecting the functioning of state institutions and the security of ordinary citizens. Due process violations, attacks on journalists, human rights abuses, and official corruption are ongoing challenges, and the new government of President Daniel Noboa Azín has engaged in practices that further threaten civil liberties.

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? 4.004 6.006

Score Change: The score declined from 5 to 4 because widespread electricity outages interrupted internet connectivity and telecommunications services over at least a two-month period.

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? 6.006 6.006
A4 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are there legal, regulatory, or economic obstacles that restrict the diversity of service providers? 4.004 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? 2.002 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? 5.005 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? 2.002 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? 2.002 4.004
B4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? 2.002 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? 2.002 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? 2.002 3.003
B7 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? 3.003 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? 6.006 6.006

Score Change: The score improved from 5 to 6 because users were able to advocate and form communities online without significant restrictions.

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? 3.003 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? 2.002 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? 5.005 6.006
C4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? 3.003 4.004
C5 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on users’ right to privacy? 2.002 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? 4.004 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? 2.002 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? 1.001 3.003

On Ecuador

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

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Country Facts

  • Population

    18,000,000

  • Global Freedom Score

    65 100 partly free

  • Internet Freedom Score

    63 100 partly free

  • Freedom in the World Status

    Partly Free

  • Networks Restricted

    No

  • Websites Blocked

    Yes

  • Pro-government Commentators

    Yes

  • Users Arrested

    No