Digital Authoritarianism: Concept, Features, Threats

Abstract

The article examines the content, features and threats of digital authoritarianism. The topic of the research is the result of a change in the configuration of non-democratic political regimes, which actively apply the achievements of scientific and technical progress, digital technologies for the implementation of control and supervisory functions. Digital authoritarianism is interpreted as a new political trend that contains explicit and implicit threats to the future of democracy, which makes its study relevant. The problem was investigated with the help of the methods of neo-institutionalism and the comparative method. The main cases for analysis are China and Russia, since they are the most active in developing, implementing and exporting digital authoritarianism. The aim of the article is to clarify the content of digital authoritarianism, its features, and the consequences of its implementation. To achieve the goal, the task is set: to consider modern approaches to understanding digital authoritarianism in political science; find out how the control and supervisory function of the state is strengthened by means of digital technologies; characterize the activities of authoritarian states regarding the export and import of digital authoritarianism. It is noted that the implementation of the control and supervisory function by authoritarian states through the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence allows governments to automate the monitoring and tracking of the opposition. Digital tools make it possible for authoritarian regimes to cover a wide network of people with surveillance, which is especially used during mass protests.

Keywords

• non-democratic political regimes
• digital technologies
• digital authoritarianism
• export of authoritarianism
• digital rights and freedoms