Digitized Autocracy Literature Review
Source: USAID | Year: 2021
The digital age changed the context in which authoritarian regimes operate. New technologies such as the Internet and social media reduced barriers to coordination, making it easier for ordinary citizens to mobilize and challenge unresponsive and repressive governments. Research shows that in the post-Cold War era protests have surpassed coups as the most common way that authoritarian leaders are ousted from office (Kendall-Taylor and Frantz, 2014). Authoritarian regimes, however, have adapted to this new challenge and learned to co-opt digital tools in ways that significantly shape political dynamics in their regimes.
Autocrats are using digital repression in the following ways:
Monitor citizens and identify dissidents.
Monitor performance of regime elite, root out underperforming members.
Enhance ability to co-opt support.
Censorship.
Internet shutdowns.
Social manipulation and disinformation.
Mimic elements of democracy.
Increase legibility of society.
All signs indicate that digital authoritarianism is likely to deepen around the globe, as more dictatorships obtain new technologies and grow more sophisticated in their ability to use them for repressive purposes. There are no easy answers for how to effectively push back against these developments. That said, existing literature emphasizes the importance of intensifying regulation of private companies, developing an international framework for dealing with the proliferation of dual-use digital technologies, strengthening civil society actors, developing products that protect human rights by design, and promoting a democratic model for managing the digital era.
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