Author: Rebecca MacKinnon | Journal of Democracy

Rebecca MacKinnon is a Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation. She is cofounder of Global Voices Online, a global citizen-media network. This essay draws on testimony that she gave before the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China on 24 March 2010.

April 2011, Volume 22, Issue 2

Liberation Technology: China’s “Networked Authoritarianism”

Rebecca MacKinnon

Chinese authoritarianism has deftly adapted to the Internet Age, employing various forms of technological controls. China’s brand of networked authoritarianism serves as a model for other regimes, such as those of Iran and Russia.

Will China Democratize?

Although China has achieved extraordinary economic success without the CCP regime loosening its authoritarian grip, can the country continue its growth without political reform?

Liberation Technology

"Liberation technology" can help mobilize citizen protest and oust autocracies. Authoritarians can also use technology to stifle protest and target dissenters. Who will win the technological race between "netizens" demanding freedom and authoritarians determined to stay in power?