Free and Open
This is the weighted total of the four scored pillars.
Assessment windowJanuary 1–December 31, 2025
Research cutoffJuly 17, 2026
FrameworkMethodology v0.3 · 20 indicators
Territory coverageSamoa
Finding
01Why Samoa received this score.
Broadly open access and competitive civic life support a generally free internet. Criminal speech exposure, privacy gaps, and limited regulatory capacity cause deductions.
The score draws on country reporting, network measurements, shutdown records, journalist cases, privacy law, and rule-of-law data. The indicator findings below show how that evidence was converted into points. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Open Internet & Content Controls
No systematic political filtering or state-directed shutdown pattern was established in the reviewed record.
Rule of Law & Accountability
Formal remedies exist, but cost, delay, secrecy, or inconsistent enforcement limits their practical value.
Standard coverage
8 cited sources support this assessment.
Scored assessment
02Indicator scores.
Each indicator receives 0–4 points. Five indicators form a pillar. The pillar average is converted to a percentage and multiplied by its published weight.
B
30% weight
Open Internet & Content Controls
No systematic political filtering or state-directed shutdown pattern was established in the reviewed record.
87.526.3 / 30 points
B1Shutdowns and throttling3.5 / 4
Observed record
Samoa: OONI measurements and the Access Now shutdown record provide the incident check; No systematic political filtering or state-directed shutdown pattern was established in the reviewed record.. [2][3][4]
Scoring judgment
Samoa's B1 evidence supports 3.5/4. Protection is strong, with a bounded exception preventing full credit.
B2Website and service blocking3.5 / 4
Observed record
Samoa: Freedom House's 2025 country scorecard recorded media freedom 3/4 and private discussion 4/4; the country OONI dashboard supplies direct network measurements. [3][1]
Scoring judgment
Samoa's B2 evidence supports 3.5/4. Protection is strong, with a bounded exception preventing full credit.
B3Removal and filtering orders3.5 / 4
B4Intermediary liability3.5 / 4
Observed record
Samoa: Freedom House's 2025 country scorecard recorded media freedom 3/4; No systematic political filtering or state-directed shutdown pattern was established in the reviewed record.. [2][1]
Scoring judgment
Samoa's B4 evidence supports 3.5/4. Protection is strong, with a bounded exception preventing full credit.
B5Circumvention and cross-border access3.5 / 4
Observed record
Samoa: Freedom House's 2025 country scorecard recorded media freedom 3/4 and private discussion 4/4; OONI and Freedom House records provide the circumvention check. [3][1]
Scoring judgment
Samoa's B5 evidence supports 3.5/4. Protection is strong, with a bounded exception preventing full credit.
C
30% weight
Free Expression & Civic Space
Online political debate is broad and legal protections generally remain effective.
87.526.3 / 30 points
C1Legal protection for expression3.5 / 4
C2Speech-related offenses3.5 / 4
Observed record
Samoa: Freedom House's 2025 country scorecard recorded media freedom 3/4 and due process 3/4; Freedom House country reporting supplies the offense and enforcement record. [2][1]
Scoring judgment
Samoa's C2 evidence supports 3.5/4. Protection is strong, with a bounded exception preventing full credit.
C3Arrests and penalties3.5 / 4
Observed record
Samoa: Freedom House's 2025 country scorecard recorded due process 3/4 and equal treatment under law 4/4; CPJ and Freedom House records provide the documented case check. [2][5][1]
Scoring judgment
Samoa's C3 evidence supports 3.5/4. Protection is strong, with a bounded exception preventing full credit.
C4Harassment, violence, and digital attacks3.0 / 4
Observed record
Samoa: Freedom House's 2025 country scorecard recorded media freedom 3/4 and equal treatment under law 4/4; the 2026 RSF press-freedom score 64.5/100; CPJ and Freedom House reporting provide the violence, harassment, and accountability record. [5][8][1]
Scoring judgment
Samoa's C4 evidence supports 3.0/4. Protection is generally effective, with recurring but bounded shortcomings.
D
20% weight
Privacy, Anonymity & User Security
Privacy law provides meaningful rights, but exemptions, enforcement gaps, or intelligence powers remain material.
82.516.5 / 20 points
D1Data protection rights3.0 / 4
D2Surveillance law and authorization3.5 / 4
D3Retention, access, and identity mandates3.5 / 4
Observed record
Samoa: Freedom House's 2025 country scorecard recorded private discussion 4/4 and due process 3/4; UNCTAD and Freedom House records provide the retention and identity-law check. [1][6]
Scoring judgment
Samoa's D3 evidence supports 3.5/4. Protection is strong, with a bounded exception preventing full credit.
D4Targeted surveillance and spyware3.0 / 4
Observed record
Samoa: Freedom House's 2025 country scorecard recorded media freedom 3/4 and equal treatment under law 4/4; the RSF press-freedom environment 64.5/100; CPJ and Freedom House reporting provide the targeted-surveillance case record. [5][1]
Scoring judgment
Samoa's D4 evidence supports 3.0/4. Protection is generally effective, with recurring but bounded shortcomings.
D5Encryption and anonymity3.5 / 4
E
20% weight
Rule of Law & Accountability
Formal remedies exist, but cost, delay, secrecy, or inconsistent enforcement limits their practical value.
75.015.0 / 20 points
E1Judicial independence and due process3.0 / 4
E2Independent regulators3.0 / 4
E3Government transparency3.0 / 4
Observed record
Samoa: Freedom House's 2025 country scorecard recorded government openness and transparency 3/4; Formal remedies exist, but cost, delay, secrecy, or inconsistent enforcement limits their practical value.. [7][1]
Scoring judgment
Samoa's E3 evidence supports 3.0/4. Protection is generally effective, with recurring but bounded shortcomings.
E4Notice, appeal, and remedy3.0 / 4
E5Open and multistakeholder policymaking3.0 / 4
Country findings
03Findings by pillar.
These are the principal findings for each scored part of the report. The indicator records above provide the supporting detail.
Open Internet & Content Controls
No systematic political filtering or state-directed shutdown pattern was established in the reviewed record.
[2][3][4]Free Expression & Civic Space
Online political debate is broad and legal protections generally remain effective.
[2][5][8]Privacy, Anonymity & User Security
Privacy law provides meaningful rights, but exemptions, enforcement gaps, or intelligence powers remain material.
[6][1]Rule of Law & Accountability
Formal remedies exist, but cost, delay, secrecy, or inconsistent enforcement limits their practical value.
[7][1]Research record
04Coverage
Samoa, assessed from January 1 through December 31, 2025.
Evidence
Network measurements, legal and institutional datasets, shutdown records, and documented cases support the findings.
Scoring
Twenty indicators measure content openness, expression, privacy, security, and institutional checks under Methodology v0.3.
Source register
05Sources used for this report.
Country reporting, open measurements, and cross-national datasets form the report record.
- 01Freedom HouseSamoa: Freedom in the World 2025 country report ↗Civil society · 2025 edition
- 02Digital Society ProjectDigital Society Project Dataset v8 ↗Independent measurement · 2000–2025 country-year data
- 03Open Observatory of Network InterferenceSamoa measurement dashboard ↗Independent measurement · Accessed July 17, 2026
- 04Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalitionInternet Shutdowns in 2025 Annual Report ↗Civil society · March 2026
- 05Committee to Protect Journalists2025 journalist prison census and case database ↗Civil society · January 21, 2026
- 06UN Trade and DevelopmentData protection and privacy legislation worldwide ↗International organization · Accessed July 17, 2026
- 07World Justice ProjectRule of Law Index 2025 ↗Independent measurement · October 28, 2025
- 08Reporters Without BordersSamoa: World Press Freedom Index 2026 profile ↗Civil society · May 2026