Technologies for Liberation and Repression under Autocracy: Exploring the Cat-and-Mouse Dynamics in ICT Adoption in Belarus

In the non-democratic context, information and communication technologies (ICTs) are often addressed as either liberation or repressive technology. While one branch of the literature studies how ICTs enhance mobilisation and coordination against dictators, the other studies how authoritarian regimes adopt technologies to suppress dissent. However, these approaches do not account for the strategic use of technologies and, therefore, risk overlooking the unique interactive dynamic in the adoption of ICTs by two actors. This paper seeks to address these gaps. Contrary to many studies that focus on the effect of ICTs on authoritarian contention, this paper focuses on actors, their strategies and agencies in adoption of ICTs. Drawing on data from 21 qualitative interviews with leaders of the Belarusian civil resistance movement and subject-matter experts, it studies how both sides of the contention adopt technologies for their respective purposes. The study utilises thematic analysis to inductively build an understanding of the purposes behind adopting ICTs. Additionally, it employs theory-building process-tracing to analyse the interactive dynamics in adopting technologies between protestors and autocrats, also known as the cat-and-mouse game. The results suggest strong evidence in favour of a strategic approach toward adopting ICTs. The study offers a topology of the use of ICTs for advancing actors’ presupposed agendas. Additionally, the study reveals a three-step causal mechanism of the cat-and-mouse game that includes detecting an adversary action, designing a response and adopting the response. The study will be beneficial for scholars of social movements, authoritarian regimes and political violence as well as for pro-democracy activists, technological companies and policymakers.