Diffusion of digital authoritarianism? Censorship, surveillance and beyond in Türkiye

Abstract

The expansion of authoritarianism in the world has led to increased debates about digital authoritarianism as well as the diffusion of authoritarianism. However, these two topics have not been addressed together despite the digital world being a strong candidate for diffusion. This study explores whether digital authoritarian diffusion occurs from China and/or Russia to T & uuml;rkiye by examining the models of China and Russia and unpacking the Turkish model of digital authoritarianism. We argue that the Turkish model is inspired by the Chinese and Russian models, but without the active promotion of those models by authoritarian centres. Instead, analyses of the legal framework, technology and surveillance practices suggest that there is an indirect and passive as well as internally driven process at work.