Course objectives

Comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of digital authoritarianism: By the end of the course, students will have a comprehensive understanding of Russian digital authoritarianism, including its historical origins and far-reaching implications, to analyse its impact on societies and technology.
Global comparative analysis: Students will recognise and compare the patterns of authoritarian learning and the development of digital authoritarianism on a global scale, enabling them to assess commonalities and variations in different contexts.
Cultural and political insight: Upon completion of the course, students will gain cultural and political awareness, allowing them to place digital authoritarianism in a comparative perspective by understanding the nuanced political and cultural factors influencing its manifestation.
Media literacy and disinformation recognition: The course will equip students with the skills to recognise various types, styles, and patterns of mis/disinformation, promoting media literacy as they critically analyse online content.
Fact-checking and disinformation response: Students will acquire the ability to verify online content, identify credible sources, and respond to disinformation with evidence-based arguments, enhancing their capacity to challenge false narratives effectively.
Legal literacy and surveillance awareness: By the end of the course, students will have gained legal literacy concerning digital rights, international laws, and authoritarian regulations related to online surveillance and censorship. Additionally, they will be able to recognise and differentiate between various surveillance practices, including malware, tracking apps, facial recognition, and CCTV, to understand the implications for personal privacy and digital security.

Course breakdown

● 12 academic hours

● 3 lectures

● 6 seminars

● 3 workshops

Topic 1 Cultural and contextual origins of digital authoritarianism

Lecture 1 Introduction to Digital Authoritarianism (19 February)

● Defining digital authoritarianism

● Cultural, political, technological and legal pre-dispositions for digital authoritarianism

● Overview of digital authoritarianism in the Russian context

Seminar 1 Defining digital authoritarianism: the limits to digital freedom (26 February)

● Key definitions and criteria in academic literature

● The role and place for limiting digital freedom: digital threats, the pandemic, etc.

● The politics of digital unfreedom: why citizens accept it?

Suggested readings:

● The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism (2018). Freedom House https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2018/rise-digital-authoritarianism

● Unfreedom Monitor · Global Voices Advox. (2023). Global Voices Advox. https://advox.globalvoices.org/special/unfreedom-monitor/ For PDF version access https://advox.globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/GV_Unfreedom_Monitor_Briefing_Note_Apr2022.pdf

● Nocetti, J. (2015b) ‘Russia’s’ dictatorship-of-the-law’approach to internet policy’, Internet Policy Review, 4(4), pp. 1–19. https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/russias-dictatorship-law-approach-internet-policy

● Morgus, R. (2018) Chapter 11 ‘The spread of Russia’s digital authoritarianism’, AI, China, Russia, and the Global Order: Technological, Political, Global, and Creative, p 85. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1066673.pdf

● Zakharov, A. and Churmanova, K. (2021) ‘How Russia tries to censor Western social media’, BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-59687496

On privacy paradox:

● Wirth J. et al. (2021) Laziness as an explanation for the privacy paradox: a longitudinal empirical investigation. Internet Research. https://doi.org/10.1108/intr-10-2019-0439

● Naughton. (2019) The privacy paradox: why do people keep using tech firms that abuse their data? The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/may/05/privacy-paradox-why-do-people-keep-using-tech-firms-data-facebook-scandal

Seminar 2 Comparative analysis of technologically advanced authoritarian regimes (4 March)

Technology and authoritarian learning.

● Russia

● India

● Turkey

Suggested readings:

● Hall, S. G., & Ambrosio, T. (2017). Authoritarian learning: A conceptual overview. East European Politics, 33(2), 143-161 https://doi.org/10.1080/21599165.2017.1307826

● Digital authoritarianism in Turkish cyberspace: a study of deception and disinformation by the AKP regime’s. (2023). ECPS. https://www.populismstudies.org/digital-authoritarianism-in-turkish-cyberspace-a-study-of-deception-and-disinformation-by-the-akp-regimes-aktrolls-and-akbots/#:~:text=In%20recent%20years%2C%20President%20Recep,dissent%2C%20and%20shape%20public%20opinion

● The Unfreedom Monitor A Methodology for Tracking Digital Authoritarianism Around the World INDIA COUNTRY REPORT (2023) Advox https://globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Unfreedom_Monitor_India_Country_Report_2022_updated.pdf

● Russia’s Digital Authoritarianism: the Kremlin’s Toolkit. (2023) IPHR. https://www.iphronline.org/russia-s-digital-authoritarianism-the-kremlin-s-toolkit.html

Workshop 1 Inside digital authoritarianism (11 March)

A simulation exercise where participants take on various roles in a fictional society under the influence of digital authoritarianism. Students engage in the simulation by making decisions and taking actions based on their assigned roles., e.g. government officials must maintain control, activists work to expose injustices, journalists report on events, and citizens navigate daily life.

Discussion: participants share their experiences, challenges, and decisions made during the simulation, and ethical and moral dilemmas faced by different roles are discussed.

Topic 2 Information manipulation in modern societies

Lecture 2 The role of information in holding authoritarian practice (18 March)

● Media, propaganda and media freedom worldwide

● Digital Turn: how Internet and social media is shaping societies

● Types of digitally advanced information manipulation: dis/mis/mal-information, coordinated inauthentic behaviour campaigns

Suggested readings:

● Jason Stanley (2016) How Propaganda Works. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Chapter 2 ‘Propaganda Defined’.

● James Ball (2017) Post Truth: how bullshit conquered the world. London, England : Biteback Publishing. Chapter 9 ‘Why we fall for it’.

● Howard, Philip N.. Lie Machines : How to Save Democracy from Troll Armies, Deceitful Robots, Junk News Operations, and Political Operatives, Yale University Press, 2020. Chapter 2 ‘Production: Troll Armies and the Organisation of Misinformation on Social Media’’

● Sergei Guriev, Daniel Treisman (2022) Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Chapter 4 ‘Sensible Censorship’.

Seminar 3 Analyzing political manipulation in (semi)authoritarian regimes (25 March)

Task 1: Read the