Will Directed Digital Dissidence Keep Working?

Abstract

Abstract In this chapter, we review potential hurdles to the long-term effectiveness of directed digital dissidence. The internet is not a static medium, and there are always new and potentially significant advances that may alter the ability of states to be the dominant player in the informational space. Indeed, even now many states likely lack the level of sophistication and knowledge to employ it with the efficacy demonstrated by China. Even for China, directed digital dissidence is difficult to employ as a mechanism of control and requires sophisticated monitoring and constant adaption. As a result, future control may well be precarious. This method of control is especially challenging considering how the growing digital world is virtually shrinking distance across oceans combined with the process of population replacement that will eventually result in the vast majority of citizens having higher levels of technical savvy. This generation may consume and reshape the flow of information in ways that the state cannot manage. For now, China continues to show that the internet is not beyond the reach of sophisticated closed states.