Issue Expanding state authoritarianism and shrinking civic space

Summary

Not only authoritarian states but also Western societies with democratic legal systems are increasingly using coercive state power in the name of national security, social order and economic stability. Civic space, meaning the political, legal and social conditions that let citizens freely express views, associate and assemble on public matters, is shrinking as a result. Digital authoritarianism, in which states use AI, surveillance systems, big data and internet controls to monitor, censor and control society, is becoming more sophisticated and forces a basic rethink of the balance between security and liberty. State surveillance and censorship justified by political instability, cyber war and disinformation are being institutionalised, and models such as platform censorship in China, Russia's internet sovereignty law and India's NGO regulation are spreading, making clashes over information sovereignty a new axis of international conflict. Tighter controls on civil society, media and academia are growing even in democracies, a shift toward securitised authoritarianism that the survey sees feeding a structural global retreat of democracy.