Universities striving for reputational gains in the competitive global higher education market rely on international rankings that claim to meaningfully identify ‘world class’ institutions. These rankings turn a blind eye to varying levels of academic freedom. We explore the origin of the first global university ranking in Shanghai, China, and argue that the current system of academic reputation management has been tailored to advance the interests of an authoritarian regime. From a human rights perspective, we argue that the notion of academic reputation should be reconciled with academic freedom. We also show how data from the new Academic Freedom Index (AFi) could inform international rankings and discuss other avenues for introducing a rights-perspective into academic reputation politics. The article includes ideas for how scholars, students, university administrations, funding organisations, and higher education policymakers can use the AFi to promote state compliance with the ‘freedom indispensable for scientific research’, which is a binding obligation under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.