Freedom House

Freedom House is an independent organisation dedicated to the promotion of freedom and democracy around the world. In achieving its aim, the organisation undertakes various activities (comprising analysis, advocacy and action) on the following main issues: human rights, civil society, freedom of expression, Internet freedom, rule of law, elections, religious freedom and LGBTI rights. Through its work, Freedom House speaks out against the main threats to democracy and empowers citizens to exercise their fundamental rights.  They analyze the challenges to freedom; advocate for greater political and civil liberties; and support frontline activists to defend human rights and promote democratic change.

Freedom House activities in the area of Internet governance, framed under the broad name of the Global Internet Freedom Program, vary from advocacy and capacity building initiatives (aimed at, for example, empowering local experts to speak up for the rights of Internet users), provision of fellowships for individuals to attend Internet governance policy shaping fora (such as the Internet Governance Forum), and research on Internet governance issues. One example of research work undertaken by the organisation is the annual Freedom on the Net report, which assesses the degree of Internet and online media freedom in countries around the world. Freedom House also focuses on empowering activists to strengthen their digital security, through providing in-person and web-based training on digital and mobile security, developing learning materials for activists and Internet users to better the understand the risks they face online, supporting public awareness raising campaigns directed at vulnerable communities, as well as assisting activists to recover from digital attacks and become more resilient online.