Estonia ranking # 1! Go e-Stonia!
Freedom on the Net 2012 by Freedom House
View bigger map here: http://goo.gl/8bGer
"This year's findings indicate that restrictions on internet freedom in many countries have continued to grow, though the methods of control are slowly evolving, becoming more sophisticated and less visible. Brutal attacks against bloggers, politically motivated surveillance, proactive manipulation of web content, and restrictive laws regulating speech online are among the diverse threats to internet freedom emerging over the past two years. Nevertheless, several notable victories have also occurred as a result of greater activism by civil society, technology companies, and independent courts, illustrating that efforts to advance internet freedom can yield results."
Why Estonia ranks first? Here's why:
Estonians, in addition to having widespread public WiFi and more than 200 ISPs, enjoy access to some of the most advanced public services on the planet:
- Estonians can vote online (last election, 25 percent voted online — more than Sweden, Latvia and Switzerland, which also permit online voting).
- Estonians have access to their medical records online. The U.S. has a similar program for federal healthcare recipients with Blue Button and is attempting to broaden it to private insurers.
- School children and their parents can access their test scores, daily activity, and homework online.
- Reportedly, it can take as little as 18 minutes to set up a business online.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152145733895521&set=a.10150265549855521.489523.99403315520&type=1
http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/24/report-america-ranks-behind-estonia-in-internet-freedom-heres-why/
