This topic falls squarely within our focus at WizCase: online privacy, cybersecurity, and how individuals can confidently and safely make the most of the digital world. In this vein, we wanted to see how access to popular platforms correlates with governments’ attitudes toward democracy and self-expression, as well as identify patterns based on political regimes. By studying what types of platforms are blocked in certain countries, our team hoped to assess how citizens’ internet freedom is affected. We also aimed to gain insight into how governments potentially leverage online access to bolster their political motivations or undermine other countries’ power.

Key Takeaways

Countries with autocratic tendencies are more likely to ban online platforms. For example, North Korea and China scored 0 and 2 points, respectively. Self-restriction impacts platforms’ accessibility in many countries. Media streaming services have the lowest average worldwide availability at 66.97%, followed by fintech and blockchain at 70.04%. Asian countries have the most restrictions on popular platforms, with 24 out of the 40 bottom nations coming from the continent. South America performed the best, securing the highest average accessibility score (82 points).

Platform Access Analysis by Category

In this research, we studied the accessibility of different platforms across 195 countries included in the United Nations’ official list. We prioritized the types of platforms that can potentially be harnessed for political gains (e.g., social media, content streaming, news reporting) and excluded those that may be considered more “neutral” or overall less popular (e.g., crowdfunding, gaming). Ultimately, we considered 86 platforms grouped into 10 main categories, categorizing them based on their primary functions and the nature of their services or purpose. We also gave each country a censorship score: 1 point for every platform that’s fully available and zero for platforms that are banned, heavily restricted, or censored. As shown in the chart above, our initial analysis suggests that media streaming and fintech platforms are the most likely to face restrictions worldwide, even more so than adult content or piracy sites. In fact, only around 10% of the 195 countries we studied allow access to all media streaming platforms; for comparison, 79% of those countries have no bans on either piracy or adult content websites. Below, you’ll find deeper insights into each of the following categories we analyzed:

Social & Messaging Email Services Search Engines News Sites Media Streaming Adult Content Piracy Sites AI Tools E-Commerce Fintech & Blockchain

Social & Messaging

Out of 195 countries, 166 (85.13%) allow all the social & messaging platforms included in our research. Globally, the average availability for social media and messaging apps is 96.52%. Social apps and sites are among the most widely used online, presumably because they often combine the functionalities of several categories of platforms. They provide messaging, news aggregation, content streaming, and marketplace capabilities. However, their perceived well-roundedness makes them vulnerable to controversies related to user privacy, propaganda dissemination, misinformation, and bias. Among the most popular platforms, TikTok is possibly the most controversial. Being owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, the app has been accused of exploiting user data for cyber espionage. TikTok’s main critic is the United States government. Around 40 states have already banned TikTok from government-issued devices, and the federal government has long made clear its intention of blocking the platform nationwide. Many other countries have levied restrictions against TikTok, with India banning the platform and 58 other Chinese-owned apps due to cybersecurity concerns. In 14 nations, TikTok has been banned from government devices, even though it remains accessible to the general public. Meanwhile, the Russian government heavily restricts TikTok, only allowing content from Russian creators. Ironically, TikTok isn’t accessible in China either. Instead, citizens are encouraged to download and use Douyin (the local version of TikTok), which the Chinese government heavily censors. In fact, the only social media platform included in our research that’s available in China is WeChat, and it’s subjected to heavy censorship and surveillance that users from outside the country do not experience. We must note that several countries have imposed temporary bans on social media platforms, usually amid protests, military campaigns, or other politically sensitive events. This has happened in Spain, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Myanmar, among many others. However, we didn’t include these instances in our study because the blocked platforms in these cases were eventually made available again after a short period.

Email Services

Email services are, for the most part, less restricted across the world. Of the countries in our study, 184 (94.36%) allow all the platforms we considered. Moreover, this category has the second-highest average percentage of availability worldwide at 97.09%. In Russia, Proton Mail was blocked for reportedly refusing to cooperate with the authorities after being asked to provide user information related to alleged bomb threats. Tuta is also banned in the country, which the platform claims is an “act against encryption and confidential communication.” Microsoft Outlook is the only international email service that’s still operational in China, but users often report difficulties in accessing or connecting to the platform. Microsoft has servers in the country, but it’s likely that China’s “Great Firewall” still impacts the company’s services. Other countries that have implemented bans against email services are North Korea, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkmenistan, Turkey, and Cuba.

Search Engines

The average worldwide availability for search engines is 97.20% (the highest of all categories), with 174 countries (89.23%) allowing access to all the platforms we studied. Moreover, 4 out of 11 search engines included in our study ranked as some of the highest scorers of all platforms. Baidu and Ecosia are available in 193 countries, while Mojeek and DuckDuckGo are available in 192 and 191 countries, respectively. Mojeek is based in the UK and claims to prioritize people and privacy, similar to DuckDuckGo (based in the United States). Ecosia is popular for its carbon-neutral platform that funds tree-planting across the globe. On the other hand, Baidu is a Chinese-owned search engine that has, on many occasions, come under scrutiny for allegedly supporting the Chinese government’s political motivations and propaganda. The platform is subject to heavy censorship, so it often omits topics such as Tibetan independence and anything related to Hong Kong democracy. Even so, only India and North Korea have banned access to Baidu. Yandex, which got the second-lowest score in this category, faces similar allegations. As a Russian-owned engine, it’s often accused of manipulating search results to favor pro-Kremlin narratives. It is banned in China, Finland, Latvia, North Korea, Norway, and Ukraine.

News Sites

Only 136 countries (69.74%) allow access to all news sites and journalist platforms we studied, even with an average worldwide availability of 96.17%. Over 70% of the platforms we looked at are available in at least 190 countries, even though news sites may be considered inherently contentious or biased. Only two websites face restrictions related to political tensions: Al Jazeera and RT (formerly Russia Today). 5 out of 8 countries that have banned Al Jazeera are in conflict with Qatar, where the site is headquartered. These nations — Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — have accused Al Jazeera of promoting extremism and have demanded its closure. The United States has made similar comments against the site, even though it remains operational in the country. One of the most recent restrictions on Al Jazeera came from Israel in May 2024. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the site as an “incitement channel” when he announced the ban, potentially alluding to the outlet’s coverage of the Palestinian conflict. Al Jazeera called the decision an anti-humanitarian and “criminal act.” RT is 9th among the lowest-ranking platforms overall in terms of worldwide accessibility. The European Union (EU) banned the website in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the time of writing, at least 41 countries have restricted access to the news outlet. While the site is accessible in the United States, federal law classified it as a “foreign agent,” so it has to disclose sources of funding and affiliations.

Media Streaming

Only 20 countries (10.26%) allow access to all media streaming platforms in our study. This figure dropped from 37 countries in 2024, even though its average worldwide availability held steady at 66.97%. Thus, it remains the least available category. We must note that this figure isn’t representative of governments’ attitudes toward these services. The accessibility of video and music platforms listed here is mostly influenced by self-restriction rather than government-imposed bans. For this category, we need to distinguish between the following factors:

Website accessibility: For instance, Max’s website can be accessed from almost anywhere in the world, but its services are only available in a handful of regions. Service availability: This refers to whether users in certain regions are actually allowed to use a platform’s streaming service. Catalog size: Certain licensing restrictions can limit the catalog size of streaming services in different countries; while a platform may be available in a particular region, it may have a very limited library of content.

For this study, we focused on service availability, as that’s what, in practice, users want. We must note that government policies can also influence platforms’ decisions to self-restrict in some territories. If a country is known to censor certain types of content (e.g., music genres or themes in films), streaming services may become less inclined to expand into those territories. However, we have no definitive way to qualify these instances.

Adult Content

Out of 195 countries, only 154 (78.97%) allow access to all the pornographic websites we considered. Moreover, this category has the third-lowest average percentage of availability (83.46%). Given the polarizing nature of pornography, these results may be considered par for the course. For instance, it’s not unexpected for Muslim-majority countries to ban adult content, as it may be regarded as contrary to traditional Islamic values. Of the 38 territories that have banned or restricted this category, 19 have a Muslim population of at least 63%. Some Western countries have also levied tight regulations against pornographic platforms. In the United States, for instance, many regions have mandated adult websites to implement stricter age verification processes. However, the law was criticized for potential privacy issues, as it will compel users to present a government ID or use a third-party digital identification service before accessing the sites. Moreover, the regulation makes it the pornographic platform’s burden to ensure compliance. The most popular adult website in the country emphasized that “there’s no way to comply with this law” in states without digitized government identification services. As a sign of protest, the platform has blocked users from at least 12 states (at the time of writing). Eleven out of these 12 states are generally considered to be conservative. In other regions, pornography restrictions may be related to copyright infringement battles, disputes regarding obscenity standards, or regular state censorship.

Piracy Sites

Overall, this category scored 92.88% in average worldwide availability, while only 155 countries (79.49%) allow access to all piracy sites listed in this study. Here, we look at the two most common types of online piracy platforms: those that share copyright-protected written content (eBooks, publications, courses, and more) and those facilitating torrent downloads. The first type includes websites that seek to promote a more democratized distribution of academic resources, with some also offering pirated eBooks of diverse genres. Sci-Hub is likely the most well-known of these sites. It’s a highly debated idea, especially in research and publication circles. Of the 195 countries on our list, 175 allow access to all platforms that share books or academic resources for free. Library Genesis is the most restricted of the 5 websites considered in our study. Interestingly, of the 17 countries blocking this website, 13 are European. The second type of piracy platform includes torrent sites, where different types of content can be distributed in a decentralized, peer-to-peer manner. Torrent platforms offer free content, which is presumably why they remain popular amid the rise of streaming services. These sites may also carry books and publications, but they’re more famous for video and music content. Notably, the most popular torrent sites continue to be accessible in many countries despite “strict” laws against piracy. For instance, Germany is typically regarded as the strictest in enforcing anti-piracy regulations, yet 2 of the 3 most popular torrent sites aren’t restricted in the country. Nevertheless, its citizens are often apprehensive about downloading pirated content, as they fear that authorities are monitoring these websites to catch those violating the law.

AI Tools

This category scored a 96.07% average worldwide availability, with 182 countries (93.33%) allowing access to all mentioned platforms. We considered the accessibility of popular AI chatbots and image generators online — some platforms only offer image generation capabilities, while many advanced chatbots already come with this feature. Notably, this is the only category that saw a significant increase in availability in 2025. Back in 2024, the average availability was 91.45%, and only 62.56% of countries allowed access to all 6 platforms included in our study. This represents a nearly 50% jump in just a year. This change is primarily due to ChatGPT and Google Gemini’s increased availability. Perplexity AI and Midjourney lost availability in 6 and 4 countries, respectively. However, ChatGPT and Google Gemini are now both accessible in 187 countries, compared to only 159 and 150, respectively, in 2024. Still, we must note that even though Perplexity AI appeared to be available in 192 countries in 2024, there wasn’t enough information to confirm whether it was fully functional in all those regions. The platform seems to perform similarly to other chatbots or conversational AI assistants like ChatGPT, but it claims to be mainly a search engine that focuses on aggregating information from several online sources. Most AI image generation platforms are open source, so they’re typically available worldwide, except in countries with strict censorship and firewall policies. This means that restrictions against these AI tools in those territories are a byproduct of governments’ overall regulations rather than a direct ban on the platforms.

E-Commerce

Only 83 countries (42.56%) allow access to all e-commerce platforms included in our study, which makes it the third-lowest scorer in terms of total platform availability. However, this is primarily because Temu has yet to launch in many regions. AliExpress is similar to TikTok in that it isn’t available in its “home country.” Instead, Taobao/Tmall — a local version of AliExpress (same parent company) — caters exclusively to Chinese citizens. The rest of the platforms are mostly available worldwide, except in territories with strict internet censorship laws. Overall, e-commerce platforms have an 84.82% average worldwide availability.

Fintech & Blockchain

Only 27 countries (13.85%) allow access to all platforms listed in this study. Moreover, this category has the second-lowest average percentage of worldwide availability (70.04%). We must note, however, that most fintech and blockchain or cryptocurrency platforms are self-restricting rather than being banned by governments. Given the nature of their business model, apps or sites that fall under this category are often subject to very strict regulations. This discourages companies from expanding into territories that may not provide substantial ROI. Measures such as the anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) policies can be costly to set up for crypto platforms. It also requires thorough personal data collection to prevent fraud, which can be difficult to balance with user privacy protection in countries with heavy government surveillance. Lastly, different regions typically have varying licensing requirements for platforms that offer financial services, which can deter companies from entering new markets rapidly.

Comparing the current data with our initial research in 2024, it’s apparent that there has been a modest tightening of access across the globe. Average platform availability dropped by 2%, with the Adult Content and Fintech and Blockchain categories seeing the most significant decline in access (-8.08% and -10.62%, respectively). From 8 apps and sites sharing the top spot as the most widely available platform (193 countries) in 2024, only 2 sites remain with the same geographic availability: Baidu and Ecosia (search engines). The total availability score of the 10 least-accessible platforms also dipped from 970 points to 850 points. Moreover, only 25 of the 86 platforms still included in this study remain available in at least 190 countries, down by 43.18% from 2024. Overall, 55% of the platforms we studied lost availability from 2024 to 2025. The fintech app Revolut was the biggest loser, getting blocked or restricted in 146 additional countries. The fresh restrictions were mostly in Africa and Asia and were due to tax policy adjustments and e‑money licensing gaps. The next two sites with the most significant losses were pornographic websites. On the other hand, a combined 65 countries gained access to ChatGPT and Google Gemini, signaling the continued expansion of AI services. The e-commerce app Temu was the third-highest gainer (18 countries). However, it’s still only available in 83 countries. In a few categories, worldwide accessibility remains primarily affected by self-restriction rather than regime-imposed bans. Still, government policies appear to have a significant influence on platforms’ expansion decisions. Countries with stricter censorship may seem less appealing to companies, as it exposes them to potential sanctions, legal disputes, or controversies. Similarly, wars or diplomatic conflicts between a platform’s base country and other territories may affect whether the app or site is inclined or allowed to enter the region. Among the 11 most restrictive countries were 5 that we found to be the most volatile overall. Meaning, these nations recorded the most change in blocks and access from 2024 to 2025:

Russia: 48 recorded changes Iran: 38 recorded changes Cuba: 32 recorded changes Turkmenistan: 32 recorded changes Syria: 30 recorded changes

Meanwhile, Asian countries still have the most restrictions on popular platforms overall. Japan is the highest-scoring (82 points) Asian country, yet it’s only 41st in the overall ranking. Also, 24 out of the bottom 40 countries are in Asia. South America performed the best, with only one country (Venezuela) scoring below 80 points. It also has the highest average accessibility score. The breakdown of averages is as follows:

South America: 82 points Europe: 80 points North America: 80 points Oceania: 79 points Africa: 77 points Asia: 70 points

By looking at the patterns of restrictions, it becomes undeniable how different governments’ attitudes toward democracy may dictate the level of internet freedom citizens enjoy. North Korea, the only country to have scored zero, has the longest-standing totalitarian regime that still exists today. Its government aims to strictly control all forms of information dissemination and communication within the country, which necessitates removing global connectivity from the equation. Instead, North Koreans have access to a restricted and censored intranet closely monitored and operated by the regime. China and Iran also scored very low, and their governments’ goals are quite similar to the North Korean regime’s motivations for censorship: maintain the political status quo by regulating the flow of information.

Conclusion

The research suggests that governments with healthy democratic processes typically do not restrict digital content outright. Instead, platforms may opt out because of sanctions, complicated operational regulations, or diplomatic conflicts. On the other hand, regimes with high autocratic characteristics (whether absolute or elective) are more likely to restrict digital content for political reasons, as seen in many parts of Asia. As such, our team finds that further study on digital restrictions in countries considered autocratic may yield deeper insight into the geopolitical and social implications of censorship. For now, it appears that championing true internet freedom will require advocating beyond the digital space. In parts of the world where governments curtail the rights of their citizens, a crucial first step would be to support individuals’ rights to life and freedom and push back against regimes’ despotic tendencies.