Research Brief Examines the Importance of Balancing Rights and Surveillance in the Digital Age

18 March 2025

Our new Research Brief, 'Harnessing Digital Technology to Disrupt, Repress and Intimidate: A Deep Dive into Surveillance and Monitoring Trends in Authoritarian States', examines the difficult balance of rights and surveillance in the digital age. Co-authored by Erica Harper, Jonathan Andrew, Florence Foster, Joshua Niyo, Catherine Strugess, the paper explores how the growing trend of surveillance underscores the need for a careful balance: leveraging technology for public safety and civic engagement while implementing safeguards to protect against its misuse. It asserts that a comprehensive understanding of these tools and their potential risks is essential, as is international cooperation to uphold privacy and human rights in the face of rapidly evolving digital surveillance technologies.

Erica Harper, Head of Research and Policy Studies at the Geneva Academy, explains, 'The expansion of surveillance technology without adequate oversight or human rights due diligence creates a dangerous precedent—it allows governments to monitor citizens, restrict freedoms, and ultimately control public discourse'.

'In an era where digital technologies shape business, governance, and social interaction, their role in human rights has become increasingly crucial. These technologies facilitate protests, grassroots campaigns, and amplify voices, especially for marginalized groups whose freedoms may be restricted in the physical world. However, this powerful connectivity comes with a paradox: the very tools that empower civil society can also be used to monitor and surveil individuals, often violating privacy and undermining basic freedoms.'

'State and non-state actors use technologies like facial recognition, commercial spyware (such as FinFisher and Pegasus), and real-time surveillance tools to monitor public and private life. In regimes with weak rule of law, this surveillance creates a chilling effect, discouraging free expression and public discourse. It also enables cybercrimes, such as espionage, election interference, and doxing, that erode trust in governance and protect authoritarian agendas.'

'Countries like Iran, Uganda, and Russia showcase how surveillance technologies are misused to curtail human rights. In Iran, surveillance cameras identify non-veiled women in public spaces, monitoring not just online activities but also personal associations and physical movements. In Uganda, reforms mandating vehicle tracking devices are justified for public security, yet they open the door for targeting dissenters. Russia’s extensive use of facial recognition and cyber infrastructure aims to control dissent and regulate behavior, reflecting a global trend where authoritarian regimes use technology to maintain power and suppress opposition.'