Digital Authoritarianism as Attack on User Rights: A Cross-National Longitudinal Analysis

States can employ a variety of tactics of digital authoritarianism, defined as “the use of digital technology by governments to oppress citizens and reduce their ability to openly criticize government decisions” (Yilmaz & Yang, 2023, p. 152). This research investigates longitudinal trends in digital authoritarian practices to identify tactics that are increasingly preferred by autocratic regimes. Tactics of digital authoritarianism are grouped into three dimensions based on who or what is targeted (Freedom House, 2023). These are (1) obstacles to access the internet itself, (2) limitations on content shared online and (3) violations of the rights of internet users. The study draws on a data set with yearly ratings for nations around the world along these dimensions, based on which they are classified as Free, Partly Free or Not Free (Freedom House, 2023). The analysis focuses on nations classified as Not Free at least once between 2011 and 2023. The data indicate sharp differences on a global scale in digital authoritarianism as practised along these dimensions. Nations classified as Not Free score poorly overall. However, their ratings have been stable or marginally improved in terms of obstacles to access the internet, such as shutdowns. The ratings for limits on content, such as blocking content that should be protected under international human rights standards, have stayed the same or declined occasionally. But the ratings for violations of users’ rights—such as restrictions on anonymous communication, institution of laws criminalizing online activities protected under international standards, extralegal intimidation by the state and so on—witness a steep fall in many nations. To illustrate, the sharpest declines in ratings for violations of user rights were witnessed in Ethiopia (from 18 in 2011 to 10 in 2023), Kazakhstan (16-10), Pakistan (14-8), and Saudi Arabia (11-5). In contrast, Ethiopia’s ratings for obstacles to internet access and limits on content marginally improved (4-5 and 9-11) while they remained roughly the same for Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia. Pakistan’s ratings for obstacles slipped from 6 to 5 and from 17 to 13 for limits on content. Overall, the analysis suggests digital authoritarianism is increasingly taking the form of direct or indirect attacks on citizens and their rights, using both legal and extralegal means. The study further investigates the specific forms of violation of user rights in these four nations as case studies to understand how and why this is becoming the preferred tactic for autocratic regimes. References Freedom House. (2023). Freedom on the net, 2023. https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2023/repressive-power-artificial-intelligence Yilmaz, I., & Yang, F. (2023). Digital authoritarianism, religion, and future of democracy. In I. Yilmaz (Ed.), Digital authoritarianism and its religious legitimization (pp. 151-164). Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan.