Australia has failed to get to the World Wide Web Index 2013 top 10 ranking due to inadequate safeguards and due process against government digital surveillance. It has landed at no. 11.

The top 10 countries were Sweden, Norway, UK, U.S., New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, France and Korea. The Philippines at no. 38 was the highest developing country in the overall ranking.

"While developing countries are most likely to resort to blocking and filtering to control online communication, thanks to Edward Snowden we now know that the developed world is far more likely to spy on such communications," as the report stated.

"It has been suggested that the knowledge that someone is tracking what you say and do online may be more likely to produce self-censorship than overt banning of certain Web sites."

Meanwhile, Australia was praised for its very good access to online information and services relevant to Aussies' daily needs. In fact, the country ranked at no. 2 in this subcategory.

81 countries were rated according to the following indexes:

Universal Access

This sub-Index measures whether countries have invested in affordable access to high quality internetinfrastructure, as well as investing in the education and skills citizens need to use the Web well.

Freedom and Openness

This sub-Index assesses the extent to which citizens enjoy rights to information,

opinion, expression, safety and privacy online.

Relevant Content

This sub-Index maps both Web use by citizens and the content available in each country, with an emphasis on the extent to which different stakeholders can access information that is relevant to them, in the language that they are most comfortable using and via platforms and channels that are widely available.

Empowerment

This sub-Index aims to assess the difference that the Web is making to people, and the extent to whichuse of the Web by stakeholders is fostering positive change in four key areas: society, economy, politics and environment.

Bottom 10 countries were Vietnam, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Rwanda, Cameroon, Pakistan, Zimbabwe Mai, Ethiopia and Yemen.

Web Index is the first multidimensional measurement of the World Wide Web's contribution to development and human rights globally.

The 2013 report on World Wide Index was launched Nov. 22 in London through a conference attended by Web inventor and Web Foundation Founding Director Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Lily Cole, the actor and founder of the social network, Anne Jellema, Chief Executive Officer of the World Wide Web Foundation Rebecca MacKinnon, the co-founder of Global Voices Online, Bright Simons, the founder of the mPedigree, Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia.