Shutdowns Erode Authoritarian Legitimacy

When a state’s internet restrictions move from blocking political content to interrupting daily digital services, the political bargain that sustains quiet acquiescence can break down — producing visible elite complaints, approval declines, and economic losses. These disruptions convert technical network control into a political vulnerability rather than a secure lever of repression. — Shows that authoritarian information controls become counterproductive once they damage everyday economic and social infrastructure, with implications for regime stability, policy design, and sanctions effects.