The Role of Multinational Corporations in Combating Digital Repression
Co-authored by Ana Maria Blanco, Richard Crespin and Caroline Logan.
In the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian citizens found their digital and social media channels inundated with messages claiming Ukraine’s “Nazi-led government” planned to invade their country and that international reports stating the opposite were a hoax. This kind of digital repression leaves Russian citizens in the dark and has severely impacted the Russian economy, as pressure from investors and consumers has led to hundreds of multinational corporations (MNCs) forfeiting their investments and leaving the country (OECD, 2022 and Scientific American, 2022).
Alongside the obvious human costs, digital repression negatively affects business, as trade and commerce suffer in the absence of access to truthful information and autocratic regimes often subvert market economies, depriving businesses and their customers of healthy competition. Digital platforms are caught in a global cat-and-mouse struggle between autocrats seeking to exploit communication technology for political gain, and citizens and corporations who need the same tools to fight such regimes (Feldstein 2021). MNCs across industries, and tech platforms in particular, play a crucial role in combating digital repression and must take action to protect business interests and the public.
The article is one of the chapters in the e-book Digital Repression: Causes, Consequences and Policy Responses.
