Book Talk: “Digital Authoritarianism in the Making: Repression and Resistance on the Russian Internet” by Françoise Daucé, Benjamin Loveluck, and Francesca Musiani

Abstract

How did the authoritarian dynamic that is currently plaguing the Russian internet (Runet) come to dominate a digital space that was initially free? Digital Authoritarianism in the Making (The MIT Press, 2025) reveals the policies regulating the Runet, resituating them within their historical context starting in the early 2010s and ending with the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022. It offers a political sociology of the Russian digital space, including the variety of actors who have sought to occupy it: access providers, developers, journalists, activists, web professionals, and mobilized citizens. Informed by five years of original fieldwork, the book highlights both repressive policies and online resistance, including lesser-known social and technical practices used to circumvent constraints. In this talk, we will discuss with the book editors Françoise Daucé, Benjamin Loveluck, and Francesca Musiani the Runet's shift toward authoritarianism and how this model is expanding to all the regions where Moscow is extending its influence. Book website: https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-edited-volume/6043/Digital-Authoritarianism-in-the-MakingRepression