Abstract

While scholarship has extensively documented digital authoritarianism in technologically advanced states like China, Russia and Iran, Central Asia remains critically understudied despite representing the frontier of authoritarian technology diffusion. This research addresses a fundamental gap: we lack systematic understanding of how digital authoritarianism operates in technologically dependent contexts where states must borrow, adapt, and negotiate control mechanisms rather than develop them locally.

This study introduces "borrowed authoritarianism" as an analytical framework for examining how Central Asian governments appropriate digital control mechanisms from Russian and Chinese models. Through comparative analysis of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, it investigates two research questions:

RQ1: Under what conditions do Central Asian states selectively adopt or substantially modify specific platform governance mechanisms (regulatory frameworks, surveillance infrastructure, content moderation practices, platform cooperation strategies) borrowed from Russian and Chinese models?

RQ2: How do competing sociotechnical imaginaries - Russian models emphasizing information sovereignty, Chinese approaches centered on algorithmic governance- shape state actors' decisions about which governance mechanisms to prioritize, how to implement them, and how to justify them?

The research challenges technological determinism by demonstrating that effective digital authoritarianism does not require indigenous technological capacity. It extends platform governance theory beyond Western-centric origins by examining how states govern platforms rather than only how platforms govern content.

The study generates the first comprehensive comparative dataset on platform governance mechanisms across four Central Asian countries, documenting regulatory frameworks, content moderation practices, and state-platform negotiations. Leveraging fluency in Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Uzbek, and Russian, the research includes 28-30 expert interviews plus systematic analysis of 100-120 legislative and policy documents.

Despite extensive research on digital authoritarianism in China and Russia, Central Asia remains understudied. My research introduces "borrowed authoritarianism," examining how technologically dependent states adapt digital control mechanisms from advanced authoritarian regimes. By integrating platform governance with sociotechnical imaginaries theory, I explore how competing visions (Russian information sovereignty and Chinese algorithmic governance) shape policy choices in contexts often lacking technological capacity in Central Asia.