A 2025 report by the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies documents a global rise in what researchers describe as digital repression by governments. Drawing on the CIRIGHTS Data Project and country human rights reports, the study finds that states increasingly rely on surveillance and legal pressure to discourage journalists and citizens from criticizing authorities.
The report identifies common tactics across countries, including monitoring online activity, restricting access to platforms, and using security and defamation laws to justify arrests and censorship. In Pakistan, laws such as the Anti-Terrorist Act and the Defamation Ordinance were cited as tools used to detain journalists and limit online content. In Kuwait, authorities were reported to monitor digital spaces and use security-related laws to intimidate critics while allowing limited expression.
Researchers note that repression has shifted from print and broadcast media toward social media, online news portals, and encrypted communication, reflecting how state control adapts to new technologies.
Along the lines the report also highlighted the countries at high risk of committing mass atrocities, that includes: "Bangladesh, Brazil, Burundi, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Libya, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, USA, Venezuela, and Yemen."
The findings raise particular concerns for religious and ethnic minorities in several regions, who often face disproportionate targeting under broad security laws that governments justify as necessary for public order.
Notes: This post was drafted with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed, edited, and published by humans. Image: DIW-Aigen
Source: University of Rhode Island, Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies
Read next: Study Finds Americans Overestimate Harmful Behavior on Social Media
The report identifies common tactics across countries, including monitoring online activity, restricting access to platforms, and using security and defamation laws to justify arrests and censorship. In Pakistan, laws such as the Anti-Terrorist Act and the Defamation Ordinance were cited as tools used to detain journalists and limit online content. In Kuwait, authorities were reported to monitor digital spaces and use security-related laws to intimidate critics while allowing limited expression.
Researchers note that repression has shifted from print and broadcast media toward social media, online news portals, and encrypted communication, reflecting how state control adapts to new technologies.
Along the lines the report also highlighted the countries at high risk of committing mass atrocities, that includes: "Bangladesh, Brazil, Burundi, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Libya, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, USA, Venezuela, and Yemen."
The findings raise particular concerns for religious and ethnic minorities in several regions, who often face disproportionate targeting under broad security laws that governments justify as necessary for public order.
Notes: This post was drafted with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed, edited, and published by humans. Image: DIW-Aigen
Source: University of Rhode Island, Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies
Read next: Study Finds Americans Overestimate Harmful Behavior on Social Media
