Abstract
Digital authoritarianism emerged in full-fledged form during the Xi era of Chinese politics. The shift from fragmented authoritarianism (FA) to party-centric governance (PCG) underpins the development of a more assertive, proactive, centralised, and ideological internet approach. This chapter examines how and in what ways this shift in mode of governance has occurred within the internet sector, with a focus on both institutional design and the promulgation of high-level internet laws. ‘Top-level design’ and the use of leading small groups (LSGs) to centralise internet governance are key components of this party-led institutional dynamic. The CCP’s promotion of law-driven governance is another important, and often overlooked, element that ensures alignment of the development of internet technologies and the internet economy with party interests and imperatives. The latter half of this chapter is devoted to analysing the Cybersecurity Law (CSL), Data Security Law (DSL), Personal Informational Protection Law (PIPL), Cryptography Law, and new algorithm regulations, in terms of the implications they have for politics, business, and the internet economy in China.
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- 1.
Lu was director of CAC until 2016 when he stepped down and was later placed under investigation for corruption.
- 2.
The journalist and dissident who leaked it, Gao Yu, was sentenced to seven years in prison.
- 3.
‘Wolf warrior’ diplomacy, named after the patriotic Chinese Wolf Warrior action films, is an aggressive and coercive foreign policy posture that promotes Chinese nationalism and defends their national interests. Much of it is carried out on the internet by Chinese diplomats, for example, through posts on Twitter and Facebook.
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Taylor, M. (2022). Digital Authoritarianism in the Xi Jinping Era. In: China’s Digital Authoritarianism. Politics and Development of Contemporary China. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11252-2_4
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