Controlling the internet: how and under what conditions states control the digital flow of information

Rakhmetov, Baurzhan 2020. Controlling the internet: how and under what conditions states control the digital flow of information. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This thesis addresses tactics and conditions of state control over the internet. Internet control is defined as the implementation by states of censorship, disruption, propaganda, and other means to shape and restrict the digital flow of information within national borders. First, I conduct a comparative analysis of sixty-five countries to identify to what extent and under what conditions states seek control of the internet. The main novelty of my study is the inclusion of democratic states in the analysis. In addition, I resort to two in-depth case studies (Kazakhstan and Ukraine) to further scrutinise and refine the findings drawn from the comparative analysis. Overall, two main conditions of state control over the internet were found. These are (1) the extractive (authoritarian) nature of domestic political institutions and (2) political instability and/or a leadership contest within inclusive (democratic) institutional settings. These findings supplement internet control scholarship, which tends to focus largely on authoritarian countries. I demonstrate that many democracies also seek to substantially control digital information.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Acceptance
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Law
Subjects:	J Political Science > JF Political institutions (General) J Political Science > JX International law
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Internet control Political institutions Digital control Censorship Social media Post-Soviet
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	1 September 2021
Date of Acceptance:	December 2020
Last Modified:	07 Oct 2022 01:26
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/143803

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