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Big Tech and authoritarian states: Belarus

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A recent video podcast from Global Voices examined the ways in which digital technology is used as a tool of political control in Belarus, a country that researchers consistently rank among the world’s most authoritarian states. The conversation featured Mikhail Doroshevich, a researcher who has studied the Belarusian internet for over three decades, and was hosted by Daria Dergacheva as part of a broader series on technology and authoritarian governance.

A Different Approach to Platform Control

Despite having a more restricted internet infrastructure than Russia since the 1990s, Belarus has not followed Russia’s path of broadly blocking Western social media platforms. State authorities and media outlets continue to operate on platforms such as YouTube and VKontakte. YouTube did remove a number of Belarusian state television channels in April and September 2026, citing its standard strikes-based enforcement process, but the government did not retaliate by restricting the platform. Doroshevich noted that some affected channels attempted to migrate their content to alternatives, including the Russian platform Rutube, though neither it nor a Belarusian domestic video service matches YouTube in functionality or reach.

When it comes to platforms that do impose restrictions, Belarusian users are unable to access certain artificial intelligence services, including those provided by OpenAI and Anthropic, due to a combination of company policy and international sanctions. Google’s Gemini was noted as an exception that remains available. Chinese and Russian AI tools represent a partial alternative, though Doroshevich pointed out that these carry their own limitations in the form of censorship and restricted capabilities.

Surveillance, Self-Censorship and Repression

Ordinary citizens in Belarus face significant consequences for online activity. People have received prison sentences and fines for actions as minor as liking or commenting on social media posts. Authorities reportedly use tools including Russian social profiling software to identify and monitor users, and searches of personal devices have led to punishments for having subscriptions to certain media channels. This environment has led to widespread self-censorship, though Doroshevich observed that avoiding online activity does not reliably protect individuals from state repression.

  • Belarusian state media operates on Western platforms while some channels have been removed under platform enforcement rules
  • Citizens face criminal penalties for social media activity, including accidental interactions
  • Monitoring relies partly on external tools rather than direct cooperation from platforms
  • The domestic IT sector continues to operate, with its primary customers now based in Russia

The podcast is available in Russian on the Global Voices YouTube channel, with an English transcript published on their website as part of their October 2026 spotlight series on technology and authoritarianism.

This article is adapted from “Big Tech and authoritarian states: Belarus” published by Global Voices, licensed under CC BY 3.0. Changes were made. Read the original story at the link above.

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