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Expanding Freedom and Democracy
Freedom on the Net 2026

Hungary

Partly Free
69
100
A Obstacles to Access 21 25
B Limits on Content 23 35
C Violations of User Rights 25 40
Last Year's Score & Status
69 100 Partly Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
Hungary_hero

header1 Overview

Hungary continued to enjoy high levels of affordable internet connectivity during the coverage period. While the government does not extensively filter content or punish people for online speech, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s office ordered internet providers to block 12 Ukrainian news sites during the coverage period.1 Despite obstacles introduced by the Orbán government, internet users in Hungary organized online to produce large turnout at LGBT+ events and electoral campaign rallies.2

Editor’s Note: Péter Magyar became prime minister in May 2026 after the opposition Tisza party won the April 2026 parliamentary elections, ending Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power.3 The numerical scores and status here do not account for some of the reforms initiated by Magyar, since the Freedom on the Net 2026 report only covers developments during the period from June 2025 to May 2026.

This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2026. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource. For additional information, see the 2024 full report and 2025 abridged 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? 6.006 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? 3.003 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, digital platforms, and the internet more broadly 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? 3.003 6.006

Score Change: The score declined from 4 to 3 because the Orbán government blocked twelve Ukrainian news sites, in response to the blocking of eight Hungarian-language sites in Ukraine; the websites were made accessible again in June 2026, after the coverage period, by the government of Péter Magyar, who succeeded Orbán as prime minister in May 2026.1

B2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do state or nonstate actors employ legal, administrative, or other means to force publishers, digital platforms, content hosts, or other intermediaries 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? 3.003 4.004
B4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do journalists, commentators, and ordinary people practice self-censorship online? 3.003 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 favored interest? 2.002 4.004
B6 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are there economic, regulatory, or other constraints that negatively affect individuals’ ability to publish content online? 1.001 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 individuals’ ability to form communities, mobilize, and campaign online, particularly on political and social issues? 6.006 6.006

Score Change: The score improved from 5 to 6 because online mobilization facilitated considerable turnout at LGBT+ events and electoral campaign rallies, in spite of obstacles introduced by the Orbán government.1

  • 1Ashifa Kassam, “Hungary Bans Pride Events and Plans to Use Facial Recognition to Target Attenders;” Budapest Pride, “30. Budapest Pride Felvonulás/March;” Amnesty International, “Let Pride March in Hungary;” Justin Spike, “Around 100,000 March at Budapest Pride in Defiance of Hungary's Ban on the Event;” Endre Borbáth, “Explaining Tisza’s Hungarian Breakthrough.”

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? 4.004 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 online communication or encryption? 2.002 4.004
C5 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on individuals’ 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 individuals’ 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? 4.004 5.005
C8 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are websites, governmental and private entities, service providers, or individuals subject to widespread hacking and other forms of cyberattack? 2.002 3.003

On Hungary

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Country Facts

  • Population

    9,643,000

  • Global Freedom Score

    65 100 partly free

  • Internet Freedom Score

    69 100 partly free

  • Freedom in the World Status

    Partly Free