Surveillance Technologies and Digital Authoritarianism: Examining the Global Impact of Surveillance Technology Proliferation and How Democracies Can Fight Back
Abstract
Authoritarian governments that have embraced and adapted to the evolving digital domain have given rise to a new phenomenon called digital authoritarianism. This paper provides an overview of what motivates traditionally authoritarian governments to become digital authoritarians and most importantly, it discusses the negative effects of digital surveillance technologies when used as a tool for suppression. In addition, this paper addresses the challenges for democracies to adopt stronger export control measures to stem the spread of these surveillance technologies. Using the case study method, this paper presents an analysis of the impact of surveillance technologies in two import authoritarian regimes. The results indicate that in a world where digital interconnectedness would suggest otherwise, digital authoritarians have developed new deterrents to social and political change through the integration of online surveillance into their broader strategies of repression. These results illustrate how the proliferation of these technologies are entrenching digital authoritarianism across the world. Finally, proposed changes to the current global export governance are discussed, revealing what role democracies must assume to reverse the trend of declining privacy and expression freedoms globally.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1177804
Entities
People
- Tristan J Murray
Organizations
- Marine Corps University