STAY UP TO DATE: The Effects of the US Foreign Aid Freeze on Freedom House
Expanding Freedom and Democracy
Freedom on the Net 2025

United Kingdom

Free
76
100
A Obstacles to Access 24 25
B Limits on Content 28 35
C Violations of User Rights 24 40
Last Year's Score & Status
78 100 Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
united-kingdom_hero_map

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

Internet freedom declined in the United Kingdom during the coverage period due to a reported increase in criminal charges for online speech, and a rash of false and misleading information online that contributed to several days of rioting in UK cities and towns in the summer of 2024. The state’s surveillance practices and other potential privacy violations remained ongoing concerns. However, the environment remains free as people experience relatively limited website blocking, and enjoy widespread access and few major restrictions on content.

  • In December 2024, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) approved the £16.5 billion ($20.7 billion) merger of Three UK and Vodafone UK to form VodafoneThree, the largest mobile operator in the United Kingdom. The merger was completed in May 2025, leaving only three mobile operators in the market (A4).1
  • In August 2024, riots led by far-right actors erupted in more than two dozen cities across the United Kingdom after false information concerning the perpetrator of the murder of three girls in Southport circulated online (B7).2
  • According to an April 2025 freedom of information report filed by The Times, over 12,000 people were arrested, including for social media posts, in 2023 under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 and section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988. The report also found that the number of annual arrests had more than doubled since 2017 (though in 2023, less than one-tenth of arrests resulted in sentencing).3 A separate report from The Telegraph found that 292 people had been charged for spreading false information and “threatening communications” under the Online Safety Act between when it came into effect in 2023 and February 2025. Some civil liberties groups expressed concern that the laws were being applied broadly and in some cases punished speech protected by international human rights standards (C3).4
  • In January 2025, the Home Office reportedly ordered Apple to create a technical backdoor to allow the office to obtain encrypted data; in February 2025, Apple stopped offering its Advanced Data Protection, an opt-in feature that provided end-to-end encryption for certain types of iCloud data, in the United Kingdom.5 In April 2025, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal declined the Home Office’s request to keep the case secret.6 In September 2025, after the coverage period, the Financial Times reported that the Home Office had once again requested Apple provide a technical backdoor to permit the office to obtain encrypted data of UK users (C4).7
  • In January 2025, the United Kingdom’s Office of Communications (Ofcom) published a notice requiring online platforms and search engines to conduct a “children’s access assessment” by April 2025, and to begin the process of implementing age verification measures for accessing “harmful” content as required under the 2023 Online Safety Act.8 Platforms began implementing these measures in July 2025, after the coverage period (C4).9

header2 Political Overview

The United Kingdom (UK)—which includes the constituent countries of England, Scotland, and Wales along with the territory of Northern Ireland—is a stable democracy that regularly holds free elections and hosts a vibrant media sector. While the government generally enforces robust protections for political rights and civil liberties, recent years have featured new restrictions on the right to protest as well as rising Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-immigrant sentiment.

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? 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? 5.005 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? 4.004 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? 4.004 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? 3.003 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 online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? 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 particular political interest? 3.003 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? 3.003 3.003
B7 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? 3.003 4.004

Score Change: The score declined from 4 to 3 because false and misleading information that spread online contributed to riots that took place across the country in August 2024.1

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

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? 5.005 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? 4.004 6.006

Score Change: The score declined from 5 to 4 because of the proliferation of criminal charges, arrests, and convictions concerning online speech, including speech protected under international human rights standards.1

C4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? 2.002 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? 3.003 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 individual users subject to widespread hacking and other forms of cyberattack? 2.002 3.003

On United Kingdom

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

See More

Country Facts

  • Population

    66,970,000

  • Global Freedom Score

    92 100 free

  • Internet Freedom Score

    76 100 free

  • Freedom in the World Status

    Free

  • Networks Restricted

    No

  • Websites Blocked

    Yes

  • Pro-government Commentators

    No

  • Users Arrested

    Yes