3.4.2 Digital repression
It is not only the oppressed, but also the oppressors, who have been using digital technologies for political practices in recent years. Feldstein (2021) discusses the rise of ‘digital repression’ by authoritarian governments in some countries: the use of technology to surveil, coerce or manipulate individuals or groups in order to deter specific activities or beliefs that challenge the state. The author identifies five types of digital repression:
- surveillance
- censorship
- social manipulation and disinformation
- internet shutdowns
- targeted persecution of online users.
Feldstein explains that:
In many cases, these techniques can overlap: disinformation is both a way for governments to manipulate or distort the truth, but also as a tool of censorship (especially when using tactics known as ‘flooding,’ where legitimate critics of government policies are drowned out by a flood of pro-government posts).