TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan ranks No. 5 in the world for online freedom, according to the annual "Freedom of the Net" survey published by Freedom House, Inc. on Tuesday (Oct. 18).

Taiwan was the freest internet country in Asia, with only Iceland, Estonia, Costa Rica, and Canada preceding it on the global list and the United Kingdom tying at No. 5. For the eighth year in a row, China featured at the bottom of the 70 countries surveyed.

The human rights organization noted that internet freedom had continued slipping for the 12th year running. The survey listed 17 countries as free, 32 as partly free, and 21 as not free.

Authoritarian governments have tightened their controls over online freedom of expression, with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine as an example. Freedom House considered other countries, including Brazil, India, and Nigeria, as “swing states” because it was not clear yet whether their internet policies would grow more or less restrictive in the near future.

The report also warned against the prevalence of “fake news,” with Taiwan forming a frequent target for disinformation originating from China. Cooperation between the private sector, including messaging apps, academic bodies and the government could find innovative ways of flagging and countering false reports, per CNA.