China is exporting its model of digital authoritarianism abroad with the help of its far-reaching tech industry and massive infrastructure projects, offering a blueprint of “best practices” to neighbors including Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam, a human rights watchdog has warned. In 2015, China launched its “Digital Silk Road” project to expand access to digital infrastructure such as submarine cables, satellites, 5G connectivity and more. Article 19, a United Kingdom-based human rights group, argues that the project has been about more than just expanding access to WiFi or e-commerce. They say it’s been about reshaping standards and internet governance norms away from a free, open, and interoperable internet in favor of a fragmented digital ecosystem, built on censorship and surveillance, where China and other networked autocracies can prosper.
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