Publications

Abstract

Over the past two decades authoritarian governance has undergone a significant transformation driven by the expansion of digital technologies. This article examines the rise of digital authoritarianism as a distinct mode of rule in which surveillance systems, algorithmic content control, and information manipulation are embedded within the routine structures of governance. It argues that contemporary authoritarianism is not merely an updated version of earlier coercive regimes, but a qualitatively different and more resilient form of rule characterized by greater subtlety, precision, and durability.

The article traces the evolution of digital authoritarian practices from early internet regulation to their consolidation in the 2010s, situating the concept within ongoing definitional debates that contrast intention-based, promotion-based, informational, and practice-oriented approaches. It then analyzes the political logic of digital authoritarianism, focusing on how information control, compliance, and legitimacy are managed through digital means, before outlining the core pillars of digital authoritarian rule: surveillance, censorship, and disinformation. The final sections assess international responses and the diffusion of digital authoritarian practices across regime types, with particular attention to hybrid regimes and small democracies, including a case study of Georgia as an illustration of how digital control tools can emerge even in formally democratic contexts amid political polarization and democratic backsliding. The article concludes that digital authoritarianism poses a structural challenge to liberal governance that existing regulatory and normative frameworks remain poorly equipped to address.