Data-driven authoritarianism: non-democracies and big data

Abstract

The article discusses the problems of power asymmetry and political dynamics in the era of Big Data, assessing the impact Big Data may have on power relations and political regimes. While the issues of political ethics of the data turn are mostly discussed in relation to democracies, little attention has been given to hybrid regimes and autocracies, some of which are actively introducing Big Data policies. We argue that although the effects of Big Data on politics are ambivalent, it can become a powerful instrument of authoritarian resilience through ICT-facilitated repression, legitimation and cooptation. The ability of autocracies to become data-driven depends on their capacity, control powers and policies. We further analyze the state of the Big Data policy in Russia. Although the country may become a case of data-driven authoritarianism, it will be the result of the current discursive and political competition among actors. The ethical critique of Big Data should then be based on the empirical findings of Big Data use by non-democracies.