CPH Tech Policy Brief #8

Repression in the digital age

This CPH Tech Policy Brief is based on the book “Repression in the Digital Age: Surveillance, Censorship, and the Dynamics of State Violence”, published by Anita Gohdes in 2023. The brief gives a short introduction to the topic and main argument of the book and presents select findings and implications on how Internet accessibility and state repression play out in authoritarian countries.

Amidst evolving debates around the Internet’s impact on politics, Internet penetration across the world has exploded.

Although liberal democracies were early adopters, autocratic countries have been making strides in catching up. And while most countries have worked hard to expand Internet access, many have simultaneously developed technological tools to control the flow of information that comes with this access. Because the Internet has become such an essential part of our daily lives, its control has far-reaching consequences, including on contentious politics.

This book studies how information control has changed in the digital age, and how access to new digital technologies has transformed violent state repression, presenting evidence from Syria, Iran, and a global comparative analysis. The key finding is that digital surveillance and censorship take on a supportive role in states’ repressive strategies, allowing them to more effectively repress citizen, both in war and peacetime. As digital communication becomes a bedrock of modern opposition and protest movements, understanding the role of technology in repression has become more important than ever.

The study was made by Anita Gohdes, Professor of International and Cyber Security, at the Hertie School in Berlin.