Digital authoritarianism, or the use of digital technologies to enhance or enable authoritarian governance, has received much attention due to its implications for human rights and global democracy. Yet, often overlooked are the implications of digital authoritarianism for US national security. This article explores the ways in which digital authoritarianism exposes US national security to risk on three fronts: consolidation of power in authoritarian regimes; increased incentives for authoritarians to promote diffusion of surveillance technologies; and potential insulation against foreign cyber attacks and lowered disincentives for authoritarians to conduct destabilizing cyber operations on the global Internet.
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