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We have been living in the Internet Age for almost thirty years.

Every year, the charity Freedom House surveys the state of global internet freedom.

Yet that was the original vision of the internets founders.

So where did it all go wrong, and what happened to the forgotten dream of a free internet?

Just so long as the tyrants didnt get there first.

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It is Berners-Lees belief that Governments have a responsibility to protect peoples rights and freedoms online.

Yet by and large, governments are failing their citizens by ignoring this responsibility.

In the early 2010s, the Arab Spring flared briefly as proof of the internets emancipatory power.

And with good reason since the internet itself has become gradually less free and fair in that time.

Yet internet freedom is also in decline in Europe.

Freedom House found that there was no European country where the internet became freer over the past year.

Free speech activists have also spoken out against the UKs Online Safety Bill, which became law in October.

Among other things, the bill may end up compelling firms likeWhatsAppto hand over encrypted messages to the government.

WhatsApp has threatened to leave the UK before it ends its longstanding policy of securing users messages with end-to-endencryption.

Many activists, founders, and citizens still believe in the liberating power of the internet.

Thankfully, there are tools which citizens can use to circumvent state censorship.

And there are those among us who would use these tools to reverse the trend of declining internet freedom.

VPNproviders are at the forefront of the battle to steer the internet back on track.

We at hide.me agree.

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The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc.

If you are interested in contributing find out more here:https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro