The fact that dictatorships interfere in communication is not surprising, nor is it a new subject of study in political science. In fact, some of the classic work on authoritarian rule has emphasized the importance for autocrats to control the flow of public and private information (Friedrich & Brzezinski, 1965). In the digital age, this has become a greater challenge, but at the same time a tremendous opportunity for autocrats. Technological progress has vastly expanded the complexity, reach, and bandwidth of communications, requiring higher levels of technical sophistication for governmental interference. At the same time, however, digital communication technology opens up new possibilities for (fully or partly) automated interference: censorship software can automatically detect and block unwanted content, and network traffic can be scanned to single out users transmitting suspicious information.
