As the new year gets underway, one of the issues I’m going to focus on in 2023 is the rise of authoritarian regimes globally. We are living in a time when two opposing forces— democracy and authoritarianism — are battling for supremacy in much of the world.
This is not a new phenomenon, of course, but the particulars of the confrontation change over time. There are subtleties involved currently that deserve special attention.
In that context, a recent article in Slate titled “The Tech Companies That Wield Even More Power Than Facebook or Google,” by Veszna Wessenauer, documents how authoritarian governments are propped up by relatively obscure but powerful technology companies most of us have probably never heard of.
Among her findings:
The U.K.-headquartered telecom company Vodafone announced it had agreed to sell Vodafone Hungary to the Hungarian government, in partnership with a local technology firm called 4iG, which has close ties to dictator Viktor Orbán’s party and already holds significant influence over the national telecom market.
In 2021, an investigation by nonprofit journalism center Direkt36 revealed that the Hungarian government was one of the many state actors to be using Pegasus software to illegally surveil journalists and politicians through their phones. Members of the Hungarian secret services have an essentially limitless ability to acquire data in their country. There are no real legal restrictions on or independent body overseeing surveillance. All of this raises the question of how the right to privacy of former Vodafone users will be ensured once the sale is complete and the Hungarian government is in control.
The Vodafone Hungary sale is a stark example of the extent of the global telecom industry’s real but underreported power, which authoritarian leaders can wield for themselves. Telcos are responsible for providing the essential communication infrastructure and services that enable citizens to exercise their basic human rights online. To operate in a given jurisdiction and provide their services, however, telcos must rely on government licenses. This gives governments a leverage over the operator, as well as its employees and assets, that they don’t customarily have over other types of information and communications technology companies, like social media platforms.
For these reasons, it is important that we insist that telecom companies assess the human rights context in which they plan to operate before entering new markets, as outlined by the U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
There is much more in this article about similar situations in Myanmar and Ethiopia, as well as the potential in other countries. But anything Viktor Orbán does in Hungary is of special interest to Americans, since he is currently a darling of the U.S. right-wing.
For more on that, see “Why is the American right obsessed with Viktor Orban?” in the Economist.
LINKS:
Moscow says Ukrainian rocket strike kills 63 Russian troops (AP)
What the United States Owes Afghan Women (Intercept)
The plight of Afghan women could hardly be worse — but all is not lost (The Times)
Afghanistan’s NGO ban for women exposes rifts in Taliban ranks (France24)
Afghan Women And Girls Protest As Taliban Restrictions Mount (RFE)
The Guardian view on Afghanistan’s suffering: the war against women (Guardian)
Damar Hamlin of Buffalo Bills in Critical Condition After Collapsing During N.F.L. Game (NYT)
Haberman says George Santos coverage is a 'death of local media' story. (CNN)
New data shows the folly of Trump’s crusade against early voting (Politico)
In her own words: Pelosi steps back after decades in charge (WP)
Kevin McCarthy’s speaker bid in balance as effort to placate hardliners flops (Guardian)
2024 contest comes into view with hurdles for both parties (AP)
What millions of student-loan borrowers need to know as 2023 shapes up to be a year of uncertainty for Biden's relief (Insider)
Idaho Murder Suspect Had Been a Student of the Criminal Mind (NYT)
Suspect in the Idaho college student killings plans to waive extradition at Tuesday hearing, attorney says (CNN)
More Northern California towns warned to evacuate due to 'imminent levee failure' (MSN)
California Scrambles to Recover From Storm Before the Next One Hits (NYT)
Hungry and on the march as the climate heats up: Termites in Australia (WP)
Twitter sued for not paying rent at San Francisco headquarters (Fox)
The hidden underwater forests that could help tackle the climate crisis (Guardian)
How agriculture hastens species extinction (60 Minutes)
What we know and don't know about the XBB.1.5 COVID subvariant (Axios)
Are Vaccines Fueling New Covid Variants? (WSJ)
Scientists Have Found Something Weird Beneath Yellowstone (IFLScience)
The nun and the monk who fell in love and married (BBC)
Yes, The Michigan Wolverines Will Be Back (SI)
‘Sesame Street’ Introduces First Enigmatic Muppet Who Has Yet To Reveal True Intentions (The Onion)
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