Myanmar was singled out for heavy criticism in the report after the military seized power in a coup in February and shut down the internet, blocked social media and forced technology companies to hand over personal data.

Internet shutdowns were similarly used to cut communications ahead of Uganda’s elections in January and after a rigged Belarus “election” in August last year.

Am Ganzen hunn op d'mannst 20 Länner den Internetzougang vun de Leit tëscht Juni 2020 a Mee 2021 blockéiert, d'Period vun der Ëmfro.

But it was not all bad news, with Iceland topping the ranking, followed by Estonia and Costa Rica, the world’s first country to declare internet access a human right.

At the other end of the spectrum, China was named the world’s worst abuser of internet freedoms, handing out heavy prison sentences for online dissent.

Worldwide, the report authors accused governments of using the regulation of tech companies for repressive purposes.

Numerous governments are pursuing laws that curb the vast power of tech giants like Google, Apple and Facebook – some of which is a justified bid to prevent monopolistic behavior, the report said.

But it called out nations including India and Turkey for passing legislation ordering social media platforms to remove content deemed offensive or which undermines public order, often under “vaguely defined” terms.

Legislation that forces tech giants to store local data on local servers, supposedly in the name of “sovereignty”, is also on the rise – and is open to abuse by authoritarian governments, the report warned.

Under a draft law in Vietnam, for example, authorities can access people’s personal data under “vaguely defined pretexts related to national security and public order”.