Does emerging technology strengthen individual freedoms or make authoritarian governments more capable of controlling and monitoring citizens? In response to this issue, there has always been a simple analytical framework: on one hand, information technology, with the emergence of the internet and later social networks, facilitates and accelerates the free flow of information and increases citizens’ access to information sources outside the control of governments. On the other hand, authoritarian governments such as the regime in Iran, Russia, Belarus, Venezuela, Egypt, China, and Cambodia are trying to maintain their control and dominance through censorship, filtering, and even legal prosecution of citizens.

This framework is no longer effective because now the role of authoritarian governments is not limited to legal restrictions and censorship, but some, especially China, have been able to dominate societies under their control with more complex actions, creating a form of “digital authoritarianism”. Some studies indicate that these countries have been successful in implementing this authoritarianism. For example, the annual research of the Freedom House on internet freedom shows that since 2017, out of 67 evaluated countries, 26 have moved towards digital authoritarianism and the situation has only slightly improved in 19 countries. (1).

This authoritarianism is not only enforced through restrictions, censorship, and punishment of citizens, but governments are now active players in the virtual space. The cyber army of the Iranian regime and the “netizens” of the Chinese government, known as the “50 Cent Army” (referring to the small amount they are paid by the Chinese government), constantly monitor and inspect public opinions in the virtual space. (2) The Chinese government, with the development of social networks like TikTok, has even been able to collect personal information of users in other countries, especially the United States. TikTok collects personal information of users, including names, IP addresses, locations, passwords, payment information, and user activity history, and provides it to the Chinese government. The analysis of this data is not for practical purposes, but to serve the authoritarian Chinese government in managing public opinions. (3).

The active interference of authoritarian governments in designing software, malware, social networks under government control, disinformation campaigns, propaganda, cyber attacks, fake accounts, and hired commenters does not end. Ethnographic research shows that the surveillance systems of these governments are not limited to the supervision of their police and intelligence services, but are primarily focused on collecting large amounts of data from private and commercial companies in the field of advanced technologies. (4) In this way, the underbelly of the private sector and the free market and various service platforms are hidden tools of government control and suppression; such as the relationship between TikTok and the Chinese government. These companies willingly or by force provide private user information to governments. Therefore, digital authoritarianism is exercised through collusion and conspiracy between the government and the private sector. (5).

As mentioned, the main focus of authoritarian governments has shifted from censorship towards collecting and analyzing large amounts of data from citizens. As a result, they have learned to use a complex government-corporate business model to gather big data and identify dissidents or manage public opinion (such as secretly censoring sensitive content on social media, a phenomenon known as “shadow banning”). Therefore, based on what has been said, the focus of defenders of individual freedoms and citizens’ rights cannot simply be breaking down the barriers of government censorship and increasing people’s access to the internet and accelerating the free flow of information. In other words, we cannot simply view authoritarian governments as George Orwell’s portrayal of a “Big Brother”. Authoritarian governments are now active players in the virtual space and their most important oppressive function is collecting and analyzing citizens’ private data.

A liberal perspective can propose strengthening the free market as a solution. As long as users have the freedom to choose from various service providers, preserving privacy can be seen as a demand and important feature of these services, and therefore platforms that collaborate with authoritarian governments will be rejected by the people. However, the promise of a free market to protect privacy has not yet been achieved. For example, a study shows that while 66% of Americans do not want their internet search information to be shared with marketers to offer them sales suggestions, most Americans still use search engines that provide this information to advertisers. (6) If companies like Google cannot be trusted, trust in services provided by companies established in authoritarian countries is necessary (such as the Chinese messaging app WeChat). Therefore, since companies need the support and legal protection and guarantee of economic activity by authoritarian rulers, a free market with private businesses independent of the government remains an illusion.

However, the ability to collect and analyze large amounts of data is not limited to governments alone. The computational power for processing data is increasingly valuable and systems that utilize more computational power will undoubtedly come out on top in competition. Therefore, cloud computing power is essential for success and obtaining maximum computational power will be crucial. For companies and platforms, specifically, utilizing the computational power of a diverse network through cloud computing (for example, by renting this computational power) will greatly reduce costs. They will have access to computing power through cloud computing that would otherwise only be possible through establishing large facilities and purchasing numerous servers.

When cloud computing power becomes of great economic value, companies will be forced to adhere to the values and demands of the people, rather than authoritarian governments. In other words, the power of cloud computing and the role of big data as a value and even currency gives hope for the creation of a true free market with independent actors, separate from authoritarian governments. Smaller independent companies with cloud computing power will

However, authoritarian governments continue to be a major player in the virtual space for propaganda and public opinion management. Their surveillance systems will become more complex and their propaganda and disinformation operations will create disruption and influential noise in the flow of free information.

I’m sorry, there is no Farsi text provided. Please provide the text for translation.

Notes:

1- Shahbaz, Adrin, The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism (Annual Research of the Freedom House on Internet Freedom in 2018).

Website.

“Freedom House”

, 2018.

2- Is it the wind, the face, neoliberalism or digital self-sufficiency? The market is growing and monitoring online thoughts in China.

Scientific Journal of Supervision and Society.

, Year 2017, Issue 15(3/4), pp. 418-424.

3- La Jensi, William, here are the data that TikTok collects from its users.

Fax Business.

March 22, 2023.

4- Berin, Sara, Big Data Supervision: Police Supervision Case.

American Sociological Review Journal.

, Year 2017, Issue 82(5), pp. 977-1008.

5- He, the face, beyond the elder brother: How can we study technology-based authoritarianism with limited access to government institutions?

Ethnography Scientific Journal

“Year 2022…”

6- Fuller, Club, Has the digital privacy market failed?

Public Selection Scientific Magazine

“Year 2019, issue 180 (3/4), pages 353-381.”

7- Ratio, profit, data are money: Why does cloud server convert data to a new global currency?

Forbes.

June 24, 2014.