17 WEAVING THE AUTHORITARIAN WEB The Control of Internet Use in Nondemocratic Regimes
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These governments may have little need for subtle forms of internet control.
“These governments may have little need for subtle forms of internet control.99”
From Legalizing control: the rise of restrictive internet regulation in sub-Saharan Africa (2026) · cites this paper as [99]
Recent studies on authoritarian collaboration suggest that the risk of not being able to continue authoritarian practices is lower if autocratic governments accept FDI from other autocracies.
“However, recent studies on 'authoritarian collaboration' 11 suggest that the risk of not being able to continue their authoritarian practices is lower if autocratic govern ments accept FDI from other autocracies.”
From Authoritarian collaboration and repression in the digital age: balancing foreign direct investment and control in internet infrastructure (2026) · cites this paper as [11]
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Empowering activists or autocrats? The Internet in authoritarian regimes
Rød, E. G., & Weidmann, N. B. (2015) · Journal of Peace Research · doi:10.1177/0022343314555782 · Cited by 290 · see citing works
“Scholars emphasizing ‘repression technology’ contend that the Internet, similar to traditional media, is not free from government interference (Boas, 2006).”
Manufacturing Consent in Cyberspace: China's “Fifty-Cent Army”
Han, R. (2015) · Journal of Current Chinese Affairs · doi:10.1177/186810261504400205 · Cited by 165 · see citing works
Defending the Authoritarian Regime Online: China's “Voluntary Fifty-cent Army”
Han, R. (2015) · The China Quarterly · doi:10.1017/s0305741015001216 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
How Dictators Control the Internet: A Review Essay
Keremoğlu, E., & Weidmann, N. B. (2020) · Comparative Political Studies · doi:10.1177/0010414020912278 · Cited by 131 · see citing works
“To some observers, this delay was a deliberate strategic choice, and internet service was not granted before accompanying control mechanisms were installed (Boas, 2006).”
BackgroundAlternative framing: The effect of the Internet on political support in authoritarian China
Tang, M., & Huhe, N. (2013) · International Political Science Review · doi:10.1177/0192512113501971 · Cited by 107 · see citing works
“Through sophisticated regulation and censorship, the people of China, along with those of Vietnam, Cuba, Iran and Singapore, have not received the benefit of the democratising effects of the Internet (Boas, 2006; Harwit and Clark, 2001; Kalathil and Boas, 2001, 2003; Rodan, 1998; Taubman, 1998).”
BackgroundDigital discrimination: Political bias in Internet service provision across ethnic groups
Weidmann, N. B., Benitez-Baleato, S., Hunziker, P., Glatz, E., & Dimitropoulos, X. A. (2016) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.aaf5062 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Farrell, H. J., & Newman, A. L. (2021) · International Organization · doi:10.1017/s0020818320000302 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Repression in the Digital Age: Surveillance, Censorship, and the Dynamics of State Violence
Gohdes, A. R. (2024) · Oxford University Press · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197743577.001.0001 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
How African countries respond to fake news and hate speech
Garbe, L., Selvik, L.-M., & Lemaire, P. (2023) · Information, Communication & Society · doi:10.1080/1369118x.2021.1994623 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
“Theoretically, we build on Lessig (1999) and Boas (2006) framework of the regulation of code as well as recent scholarship on regime survival to explain how regime-specific characteristics shape the prevalence of legal and technological discussions about online content regulation.”
BackgroundMethodAt Home and Abroad: The Use of Denial-of-service Attacks during Elections in Nondemocratic Regimes
Lutscher, P. M., Weidmann, N. B., Roberts, M. E., Jonker, M., King, A., & Dainotti, A. (2020) · Journal of Conflict Resolution · doi:10.1177/0022002719861676 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
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Huhe, N., Tang, M., & Chen, J. (2018) · Political Research Quarterly · doi:10.1177/1065912918764338 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
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“…strategies within autocratic politics (Keremoğlu and Weidmann 2020), internet governance and its repressive structure in authoritarian regimes (Boas 2006), the paradoxical opportunities provided by digital technologies for both dictators and activists (Xu 2021; Rød and Weidmann 2015), and…”
BackgroundDesigning authoritarian deliberation: how social media platforms influence political talk in China
Stockmann, D., Luo, T., & Shen, M. (2019) · Democratization · doi:10.1080/13510347.2019.1679771 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Alyukov, M. (2021) · Politics · doi:10.1177/02633957211041440 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
“Governments can simply block specific websites, shut down the Internet completely, and establish con-trol over the Internet infrastructure (Boas, 2006).”
Dovetailing Desires for Democracy with New ICTs’ Potentiality as Platform for Activism
Mutsvairo, B. (2016) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-40949-8_1 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Online Censorship and Journalists' Tactics
Xu, D. (2014) · Journalism Practice · doi:10.1080/17512786.2014.982968 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
What You Want Depends on What You Know: Firm Preferences in an Information Age
Newman, A. L. (2010) · Comparative Political Studies · doi:10.1177/0010414010369068 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Digital Nationalism on Weibo on the 70th Chinese National Day
Zhang, D. (2020) · The Journal of Communication and Media Studies · doi:10.18848/2470-9247/cgp/v06i01/1-19 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Governing by the Internet: Local Governance in the Digital Age
Han, R., & Jia, L. (2019) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-13-2799-5_21 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Wang, C., Zhu, J., & Zhang, D. (2023) · Political Studies · doi:10.1177/00323217231191399 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
“By the time a message is censored, many people have already read the information and spread it to more people via online and offline channels (Boas, 2006; Harwit and Clark, 2001; Hassid, 2008; Kalathil & Boas, 2003).”
The Politics of Internet Filtering: The United Kingdom and Germany in a Comparative Perspective
Wagner, B. (2013) · Politics · doi:10.1111/1467-9256.12031 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“This question has typically been studied in regard to authoritarian states (Boas, 2006; Deibert et al., 2008; 2010; 2011; Jiang, 2012; MacKinnon, 2012) while a lesser number of authors have attempted to look more closely at Internet filtering in Europe and North America (Akdeniz, 1997; 2001; 2008;…”
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The Cambridge Handbook of Facial Recognition in the Modern State
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Conduit, D. (2026) · Democratization · doi:10.1080/13510347.2025.2514766 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Genèse d’un autoritarisme numérique
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Garbe, L., Maerz, S. F., & Freyburg, T. (2026) · Democratization · doi:10.1080/13510347.2024.2442377 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Who is a PRC user? Comparing Chinese social media user agreements
Stockmann, D., Garten, F., & Luo, T. (2020) · First Monday · doi:10.5210/fm.v25i8.10319 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“On social media, paid bloggers known as “50-cent party members” in combination with subtle technology, such as technical error messages that are displayed when information is deleted or blocked, create difficulties to detect censorship in the eyes of users (Bandurski, 2008; Boas, 2006; Brady, 2008; Chase et al., 2002;…”
BackgroundOnline censorship and young people’s use of social media to get news
Lemaire, P. (2023) · International Political Science Review · doi:10.1177/01925121231183105 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“‘Perfect control’ is not attainable, and ‘effective control’, regardless of the specific tool, is what matters for governments (Boas, 2006: 373–374).”
Towards Area-Smart Data Science: Critical Questions for Working with Big Data from ChinaPreprint
Stockmann, D. (2016) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.2718120 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“This system includes configuration of Internet gateway infrastructure (Boas 2006), blocking websites and filtering (Chase and Mulvenon 2002), Internet policing (Brady 2008), regulation of Internet service providers (MacKinnon 2009), suppression of dissident use and discipline of cyber cafes (Chase…”
BackgroundLegalizing control: the rise of restrictive internet regulation in sub-Saharan Africa
Schumann, M. P. (2026) · Democratization · doi:10.1080/13510347.2025.2503370 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Democratization and Authoritarianism in the Information Age
Kim, E. H. (2021) · International Area Studies Review · doi:10.1177/22338659211026006 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“The internet, similar to traditional media, is not free from government interference (Boas, 2006; Kalathil and Boas, 2003).”
BackgroundOnline controls and the protest- repression nexus in Iran
Gohdes, A. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197743577.003.0007 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Citizenship in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Nayak, B. S., & Walton, N. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-62308-0_6 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Internet Control and Disinformation Across Regime Types During and After the Covid‐19 Crisis
Kneuer, M., Schünemann, W. J., & Bahms, G. (2024) · Politics and Governance · doi:10.17645/pag.8580 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“While internet control has long been perceived as an exclusive domain of autocratic regimes (Boas, 2006; Deibert & Rohozinski, 2010; Greitens, 2013; Rød & Weidmann, 2015), more recent literature has highlighted two different developments that might indicate a convergence.”
Which Social Media Facilitate Online Public Opinion in China?Preprint
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Smithies, J. (2017) · Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks · doi:10.1057/978-1-137-49944-8_2 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Internet Governance: Von der Selbstregulierung zu hybriden Regulierungsmodellen
Breindl, Y. (2018) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-658-02033-0_4 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
What are online controls, and how do they work?
Gohdes, A. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197743577.003.0002 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Gohdes, A. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197743577.003.0009 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
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Introduction: Cyberactivism and Social Movements
Radsch, C. C. (2016) · Palgrave Macmillan US eBooks · doi:10.1057/978-1-137-48069-9_1 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Ermoshina, K., Loveluck, B., & Musiani, F. (2023) · Presses des Mines eBooks · doi:10.4000/books.pressesmines.9073 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Discourse Networks on State-Mandated Access Blocking in France and GermanyPreprint
Breindl, Y. (2012) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.2809761 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Nationwide shutdowns and government offensives
Gohdes, A. R. (2024) · Repression in the Digital Age · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197743577.003.0005
Moving Beyond Regulatory Mechanisms: A Typology of Internet Control Regimes
Hunt, R. A. (2014) · doi:10.15760/etd.1801 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Kalathil and Boas’ (2003) seminal work Open Networks, Closed Regimes surveyed how eight authoritarian and semi-authoritarian countries—China, Cuba, Singapore, Vietnam, Myanmar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt—employed and regulated the Internet, and found different results, as the regimes did not att…”
BackgroundTowards a Systems Analysis of the Humanities
Smithies, J. (2017) · Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks · doi:10.1057/978-1-137-49944-8_5
Political Participation through Social Networking Sites in China
Fatema, S., Li, Y., Dong, F., et al. (2022) · International Conference on E-business, Management and Economics (ICEME) · doi:10.1145/3556089.3556142
Tableau de translittération du russe vers le français
(2023) · Presses des Mines eBooks · doi:10.4000/books.pressesmines.9048
(2023) · Presses des Mines eBooks · doi:10.4000/books.pressesmines.9053
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Daucé, F., Loveluck, B., & Musiani, F. (2023) · Presses des Mines eBooks · doi:10.4000/books.pressesmines.9058
Wang, C., Zhu, J., & Zhang, D. (2023) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4571587
(2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197743577.002.0009
Online controls and repression in Syria
Gohdes, A. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197743577.003.0004
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Gohdes, A. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197743577.003.0001
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Gohdes, A. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197743577.003.0003
Gohdes, A. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197743577.003.0008
Internet accessibility and targeted violence
Gohdes, A. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197743577.003.0006
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Nayak, B. S., & Walton, N. (2024) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-62308-0_2
- Authors
- Boas, T. C.
- Corresponding author
- Boas, Taylor C.
- ORCID
- Boas, Taylor C.
- Venue
- How Revolutionary Was the Digital Revolution?
- Publisher
- Stanford University Press
- Published
- 2006-06-09
- Pages
- 361-378
- OpenAlex
- W4207043906
- Cited by
- 62
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Stanford University Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Political Conflict and Governance
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Cybersecurity and Cyber Warfare Studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Media Influence and Politics
- Keywords
- internet regulation, authoritarian regimes, internet censorship, state control of the internet
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