5 Countries that Censor the Internet and Banned Social Media

In this piece, we will take a look at the 5 countries that censor the internet and banned social media. For more countries, head on over to the 20 countries that censor the internet and banned social media.

5. Saudi Arabia

Insider Monkey internet freedom score: 14

The Saudi Arabian government heavily censors internet and maintains a close watch over it, with Reporters without Borders claiming in 2014 that the government was “relentless in its censorship of the Saudi media and the Internet”.

4. Russia

Insider Monkey internet freedom score: 13

Social media has always been heavily censored by the Russian government and is easily among the countries that censor the internet and block social media. Russia even maintains an internet blacklist to effectively apply its censorship policies, which is one of the reasons propaganda is so prevalent in the country.

3. Myanmar

Insider Monkey internet freedom score: 10

After a coup led by Myanmar’s military in 2021, censorship has continued to increase in the country and in 2022, the United Nations condemned the “digital dictatorship” imposed by the junta, which has led to rolling internet blackouts and a social media blockade.

2. Iran

Insider Monkey internet freedom score: 10

Iran is well-known for consistently cutting internet connections, not to mention blocking major social media apps consistently. Iran’s censorship policies came under global scrutiny in 2022 after major protests rocked the country and in 2023, the U.S. imposed additional sanctions on Iranian company Arvand Cloud because of the company’s involvement in helping Iran censor the internet.

1. China

Insider Monkey internet freedom score: 3

Topping the list of 20 countries that censor the internet and banned social media is unsurprisingly China, where basically all major social media apps are banned, as discussed in the intro. This is why WeChat, a Chinese social media company, has crossed over a billion users, while major global social media companies are losing out on one of the most lucrative markets in the world.

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