A
recent
studdy realsed by
Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace, illustrates how two authoritarian regimes,
China and Cuba, are maintaining control over the Internet's political impact
through different combinations of reactive methods —restricting Internet
access, filtering content, monitoring on-line behavior, or even prohibiting
Internet use entirely— and proactive strategies —creating propaganda sites
and encouraging content providers to be pro-regime.
These cases show that, contrary to assumptions, different types of authoritarian
regimes may be able to control and profit from the Internet. Examining
the experiences of these two countries may help to shed light on other
authoritarian regimes' strategies for Internet development, as well as
help to develop generalizable conclusions about the impact of the Internet
on authoritarian rule.
More information:
The
Internet and State Control in Authoritarian Regimes: China, Cuba, and the
Counterrevolution