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Freedom on the Net 2025

Egypt

Not Free
28
100
A Obstacles to Access 14 25
B Limits on Content 9 35
C Violations of User Rights 5 40
Last Year's Score & Status
28 100 Not 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

Internet freedom and the rights of internet users remained severely constrained in Egypt during the coverage period. The risk of criminal penalties, harassment, and surveillance contributed to high levels of self-censorship among users. Detained activists, bloggers, and journalists routinely suffered abuse and torture in detention.

  • In June and July 2024, planned and unplanned power outages resulting from extreme heat and an energy shortage effectively limited people’s ability to access fixed-line internet service.1 More than 100 people were arbitrarily detained after using social media to call for protests in response to the power cuts as well as rising prices (A1 and B8).2
  • In late 2024, the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) announced plans to lift a long-standing ban on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, such as WhatsApp or Viber calling.3 However, the ban had not been lifted by the end of the coverage period, and several VoIP services remained inaccessible (A3).4
  • The Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR) blocked news websites and denied outlets licenses as part of a wider crackdown on independent media during the coverage period. In October 2024, the SCMR refused to grant a license to the independent website Fakartany, even though it had reportedly met all the legal requirements.5 The news outlet Cairo 24 was blocked in November with no explanation from authorities, and in February 2025, the Brussels-based independent Egyptian media outlet Zawia3 was blocked in Egypt (B1 and B6).6
  • Internet users arrested for their online activity faced extended pretrial detention, while imprisoned journalists and activists received heavier sentences. For example, in September 2024, authorities arbitrarily added two years to prodemocracy blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah’s five-year prison sentence just days before he was set to be released.7 He was ultimately freed under a presidential pardon in September 2025, after the coverage period. By the time of his pardon, Abdel Fattah had spent most of the past 12 years in prison (C3).8
  • Online activists, bloggers, and journalists faced enforced disappearances and experienced abuse and torture while in detention during the coverage period. Ashraf Omar, a cartoonist for the independent news outlet Al-Manassa, was arrested and forcibly disappeared for two days in July 2024 before being formally charged with a variety of offenses. He was reportedly subjected to physical torture and abuse while in custody (C7).9

header2 Political Overview

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who first took power in a 2013 coup, has governed Egypt in an authoritarian manner. Meaningful political opposition is virtually nonexistent, as expressions of dissent can draw criminal prosecution and imprisonment. Civil liberties, including press freedom and freedom of assembly, are tightly restricted. Security forces engage in human rights abuses with impunity. Discrimination against women, LGBT+ people, and other groups remains a serious problem, as do high rates of gender-based violence.

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
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? 2.002 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? 4.004 6.006
A4 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are there legal, regulatory, or economic obstacles that restrict the diversity of service providers? 3.003 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? 1.001 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? 1.001 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? 1.001 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? 1.001 4.004
B4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? 1.001 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? 1.001 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? 2.002 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? 2.002 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? 1.001 4.004
C5 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on users’ right to privacy? 1.001 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? 1.001 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? 2.002 3.003

On Egypt

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

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Country Facts

  • Population

    111,000,000

  • Global Freedom Score

    18 100 not free

  • Internet Freedom Score

    28 100 not free

  • Freedom in the World Status

    Not Free

  • Networks Restricted

    No

  • Websites Blocked

    Yes

  • Pro-government Commentators

    Yes

  • Users Arrested

    Yes