Title: Social Media Surveillance | Freedom House
Headings: Social Media Surveillance
Social Media Surveillance
Freedom on the Net 2019 Key Finding: Governments harness big data for social media surveillance
A shift to machine-driven monitoring of the public
The global market for surveillance
In strong democracies, new tools of potential repression
The consequences of government intrusion into the digital public square
Protecting human rights in the age of AI surveillance
Freedom on the Net 2019: The Crisis of Social Media
Digital Election Interference
Explore Countries

Content: At least 40 of the 65 countries covered by this report have instituted advanced social media monitoring programs. Moreover, their use by governments is accelerating: in 15 of these countries, it was only in the past year that such programs were either expanded or newly established. Justifying their efforts in the name of enhancing security, limiting disinformation, and ensuring public order, governments have effectively co-opted social media platforms. While these platforms typically present themselves as social connectors and community builders, state agencies in repressive countries see them as vast storehouses of speech and personal information that can be observed, collected, and analyzed to detect and suppress dissent. China is a leader in developing, employing, and exporting social media surveillance tools. The Chinese firm Semptian has touted its Aegis surveillance system as providing “a full view to the virtual world” with the capacity to “store and analyze unlimited data.” The company claims to be monitoring over 200 million individuals in China—a quarter of the country’s internet users. The company even markets a “national firewall” product, mimicking the so-called Great Firewall that controls internet traffic in China. Chinese agencies work closely with leading companies to monitor individuals online.