On digital realties and offline shackles

• In Event: Digital Criminology: Control and organized chaos in a ‘digital world’

Abstract

This paper explores how authoritarian and illiberal regimes attempt to exert control over the digital realm. Economic limitations make shutting down the Internet for a long time impractical while implementing advanced surveillance systems unatonable for these regimes. Instead, they rely on the criminal justice system to instill fear and suppress digital political mobilization. Using Egypt as a case study, this analysis combines legal doctrinal research and secondary data analysis to explore the use of the criminal justice system to promote self-censorship and discourage online activities challenging the regime. This paper provides insights into state control in the digital era and contributes to the current discussion regarding control and resistance within digital criminology.

Author

• Amr Marzouk, Erasmus University Rotterdam