Digital Authoritarianism - A Handbook Article

Digital authoritarianism describes the use of digital information technologies by authoritarian power holders for the purposes of political and social control. In this draft chapter for the upcoming Oxford University Press Handbook on Authoritarian Politics, we synthesize the existing scholarship on digital authoritarianism around the three main forms of technology appropriation by authoritarian regimes: censorship, surveillance, and disinformation. The chapter starts with the literature investigating the evolution of internet censorship and its impact on affected users. Focus is also given to research on internet shutdowns as a particularly drastic but increasingly prevalent form of internet control. The next section presents research on surveillance and related forms of digital repression, including its transnational variants. Then the chapter moves on to the scholarship on methods of disinformation, such as the use of trolls, cyber-troopers and artificial accounts for manipulating and distorting social media content, targeted both at domestic audiences and foreign adversaries. In a critical appraisal of the existing literature, the chapter highlights the role of the private sector as a key provider of the tools and know-how for all forms of digital authoritarianism. ‘Digital authoritarian practices’ are not confined to a specific regime-type within a defined territory, but emerge also in the private sector, established democracies, and other forms of organizations. These global entanglements merit more academic attention. Other research gaps that the chapter identifies are the effects and consequences of digital authoritarian practices, as well as how specific digital practices fit within larger repertoires of action, including conventional methods, to ensure political and social control.