Serbian authorities harshly suppressed student-led anti-government protests, many of which were organized using digital tools, Freedom House said in its Freedom on the Net 2026 report published on Thursday.
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The report refers to the demonstrations that erupted after the collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, killing 16 people. The protests developed into a nationwide movement demanding accountability and action against corruption.
Freedom House said internet freedom declined globally for the 16th consecutive year, as authoritarian governments expanded restrictions on online access and expression. The report also highlighted the growing use of laws governing artificial intelligence-generated content to restrict freedom of expression.
“Authoritarian regimes are reengineering the internet into a system of control, deciding who can connect, what they can see, and whether they can be heard,” Kian Vesteinsson, the report's author and Freedom House deputy director for research, said.
The organization warned that governments were increasingly using technology and legal measures to restrict access to information and limit online expression.
Serbia remains classified as “Partly Free” in internet freedom, a status it has held since 2024, when it was downgraded from “Free.”
The report covers developments between June 2025 and May 2026 and assesses internet freedom in 38 countries, representing approximately 70.9 percent of the world's internet users.
Freedom House called for stronger protection of online expression, better access to tools that circumvent censorship and improved digital security for journalists, activists and human rights defenders.
Teme