Once hailed as the ultimate “democratizing force,” the internet has undergone a dark transformation. Today, the digital landscape is increasingly dominated by state-sponsored surveillance, sophisticated censorship, and the relentless spread of propaganda. For many living under modern autocracies, the dream of an open web has been replaced by the reality of a “Digital Gulag.”How did we reach this point, and is it possible to fight back?

To explore these questions, we invite Ildar Daminov, a political scientist and PhD candidate at Central European University specializing in the intersection of technology, politics, and authoritarianism.

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Entrance is free, feel free to share with your friends.

At this talk you will learn:

• How we, as individuals, can resist internet control.
• How authoritarian states turned digital technology into a tool of oppression and control.
• How civil society, businesses, and institutions counter state adaptation to digital control.
• Which resistance strategies exist, why we know so little about them, and how to address this gap.

The event takes place with support of Dialogbüro Vienna
🕔 June 18th, 19:00
📍 Eßlinggasse 9/6, 1010 Wien, Dialogbüro, 2nd floor
✍️ Free entry upon a sign-up: see the button above
🗣 Event language is English

About the speaker

Ildar Daminov is a PhD candidate at Central European University. His work bridges the gap between academic theory and international public policy, focusing specifically on the socio-political impacts of digital governance and emerging technologies. He has conducted research for the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the OSCE. Ildar specializes in the regimes of Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and East Asia, and is the creator of the analytical podcast Ask Me About North Korea