Authoritarians Fear Common Knowledge

Common knowledge—facts known to be publicly shared—enables coordination, protest, and norm enforcement. Because conspicuous events and statements create it 'at a stroke,' authoritarian regimes work to block those public focal points (e.g., censorship, bans on gatherings) to prevent people from knowing that others know. — This reframes censorship and propaganda as strategic efforts to prevent coordination rather than merely to hide facts, clarifying policy debates on speech, media control, and protest.