The sixth PolitiKAS debate on the topic of digital dictatorship was held on Tuesday, November 10, 2020, via ZOOM platform. How does it feel to be ordinary citizen in a digital dictatorship and what does that dictatorship actually represent? Are states preventing the emergence of a digital dictatorship, what is the role of large Internet companies and what can we, as citizens, do to prevent its formation, are just some of the topics covered by this debate.

Danilo Krivokapić, from the SHARE Foundation and associate of the Eduardo Frei Foundation, as well as Marija Todorović, project coordinator at the Belgrade Open School, presented their knowledge, opinions and research results on the mentioned topics. The debate was moderated by Uroš Mišljenović from the organization Partners for Democratic Change Serbia.

The panelists agreed and pointed out that the mentioned issues cannot be analyzed independently and without having in mind current situation – pandemic. The pandemic has left its mark on these topics as well, at the same time encouraging us to think: How are personal data used in the digital environment during a state of emergency and do we know enough about that?

How does democracy (mis)use technology?

Marija Todorović pointed out that, when it comes to the concept of digital dictatorship and the context in which this concept is used, Russia and China are the countries that are most closely associated with this phenomenon. But privacy abuse and mass video surveillance cannot be tied exclusively to countries with authoritarian political systems. Todorovic recalls the events that fundamentally shook Western European countries and their legal systems, such as the 9/11 attacks and the global fight against terrorism along with it. A large number of countries, under the slogan of defending democracy and preventing terrorism, changed the laws, monitored the financial transactions of citizens, and increased police supervision.

This year is marked by the fight against a global pandemic, so we can notice new ways of using digital technologies. Why is it so? State actors have a constant tendency to target external enemies and security threats to the population, and then digital technology is often abused. The use of technology to prevent the undermining of the state system has another component.  States justify this move by its short-term nature, by limiting rights to a certain period. However, practice shows that measures regarding restricting human rights and freedoms often do not have a shelf life, Todorović pointed out.

State of emergency in the Republic of Serbia: Citizens' health and/or personal data protection?

Danilo Krivokapić acquainted the participants of the debate with the most important results of the research of the SHARE Foundation, which refers to the use of personal data during the pandemic in Serbia. The focus of this research was on five key areas:

• infodemia;
• pandemic;
• digital rights;
• COVID-19 information system;
• situation in the region.

With a retrospective and chronological review of events from the beginning of the pandemic in our country until now, he pointed out several problematic situations. In mid-March this year, the state warned citizens who had returned from abroad that they are monitoring Italian phone numbers as well as using other methods to track citizens violating self-isolation measures. Reality or threat, there is a problem, Krivokapić emphasizes. The state did not shine in the following months, starting from the problematic SMS warnings, until the leak of access data related to the COVID-19 information system, which were publicly available on the website of one health institution for several days.

Whoever has the information has the power

It is natural to change political system and the way of governing, as the state functions evolves. Changed circumstances can lead to violations of human rights and freedoms, so the question arises, what to do in that case? Todorović reminds of the importance of civil reaction and unification. It is up to us citizens to monitor the behavior of state institutions, but also multinational corporations and the private sector when it comes to protecting privacy and the personal data. She points out that whoever has the information also has the power, and a large concentration of power leads to an imbalance.

The digital dictatorship should be replaced by digital democracy, with citizens, civil society organizations and informal groups playing a key role in that process, with constant communication with decision-makers. She also notes that greater involvement of citizens in decision-making processes results in a clear civic response at critical moments.

Technology cannot solve social problems if there is no consensus in society regarding key values

Krivokapić also talked to the participants about the Smart City Project, which the City of Belgrade is implementing together with the Chinese company Huawei. This issue brought an intensive debate on the existing software for recognizing persons, citizens' rights, and possibilities for compensation of damages, regulations, and traffic safety.

Privacy is not important to me, I have nothing to hide

The sixth in a series of debates, closed with a statement from the audience on the issue of testimony: For me, privacy is not important, I have nothing to hide; The right to privacy must not be more important than effective criminal investigations and apprehension of criminals, and When we willingly give our data, that data may be used for any purpose. Participants in the debate agreed that the right to privacy and data protection is a very important aspect of human rights.

Todorović emphasized importance of informing people from our environment on this topic, and then educating other citizens, while Krivokapić pointed out the important role that political parties have in this process. A big task is to raise awareness of young people about the need to protect the privacy and their rights, and the Belgrade Open School educates secondary school students throughout Serbia on these topics within the project Reclaiming Privacy: A Tool to Fight Oppression.

The next PolitiKAS debate will be held on Tuesday, November 17, and the main topic will be the connection between Orthodoxy and Democracy. You can find more information about the next debates and our work so far on our website