Belarus on the Verge of Digital Totalitarianism

Pavel Latushka: Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Representative of the Cabinet for the Transition of Power, Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, Leader of the "Latushka Team and the Movement 'For Freedom'" faction within the 3rd convocation of the Coordination Council.

Recently, it became known that about 19,000 surveillance cameras are planned to be installed on apartment buildings in Minsk

What is digital totalitarianism?It is not just a dictatorship that uses digital technologies. It is a dictatorship that lives off digital technologies. One that does not merely punish, but predicts, tracks, and controls human behavior using networks, platforms, cameras, and databases.

It all began with familiar words: “We are doing this for your safety.” In 2017, the regime launched the Republican Public Security Monitoring System. It seemed to be crime prevention.

But already in 2018, its real brain appeared — the Kipod platform, developed by the company Synesis, connected to former security officers. This is a system capable of recognizing faces and car license plates in real time, determining routes, analyzing behavior and movements.

At the start — 100 cameras.In 2020 — 700.In 2023 — 6,000 only in Minsk.Toda y— 60,000 cameras across the country, capable of tracking each of us.And in Minsk, about 19,000 surveillance cameras are planned to be installed on apartment buildings.

Decrees № 384 (2020) and № 319 (2021) required shops, bars, and restaurants to connect to the Republican Public Security Monitoring System. Cameras in entrances are paid for by residents as a “communal service.”

After the protests of 2020, the technologies began to be used not for safety, but for persecuting dissenters. Attend a peaceful protest — your presence is recorded by a camera. Talk to someone labeled an "extremist" — the camera sends a signal.

The surveillance system, including cameras with facial recognition, is integrated with the Ministry of Internal Affairs databases, the passport system, and the traffic police system. It allows tracking citizens’ movements in real time.

You might not even know that you have already been identified. Here is the story of one woman: she received “house arrest with electronic monitoring” for participating in protests. She went to her mother’s hospital, and an hour and a half later, an inspector called her: “You were in Minsk. The camera recorded everything.” She was arrested. This is not the plot of a dystopia — this is Belarus in 2025.

But it did not stop there.

Currently, laws are being discussed in Lukashenko’s parliament that would make fingerprinting mandatory for everyone — Belarusian citizens and foreigners alike. In effect, everyone will receive a digital identifier — a personal number to which fingerprints, photos, videos, movements, purchases, communication history, and social media will be linked. You do not need to be detained on the street — just appearing in the frame for a few seconds is enough.

A new stage—Decree № 368, signed last year. It created an electronic interaction system between:

• KGB,

• the Administrative and Analytical Center (OAC),

• internet providers,

• website owners.

Now internet providers are obliged to cooperate with security forces. Websites must transfer data. The private digital sphere disappears completely. Every message can be intercepted. Every site is under control. The internet is no longer yours — it has become a tool of surveillance.

As if that were not enough, from March 1, 2024, another decree came into force — "On Measures to Counter Unauthorized Payment Transactions".

Under the pretext of combating cyber fraud, security forces gain permanent access to all our banking operations. Now they can not only monitor your spending but also suspend transfers and block accounts for up to 10 days — without a court decision.

Today, comprehensive databases are being created in Belarus. For example, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has created a database called "Riots". According to BELPOL, about 100,000 citizens have been entered into it. Mediazona reports that all those sentenced to "house arrest with electronic monitoring" for political cases are entered into another special database, allowing security forces to track their movements using cameras. In the famous list of extremists maintained by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there are already more than 5,500 people, and it is constantly growing. All these people are indefinitely stripped of their rights under the regime. The Ministry of Information maintains a list of extremist materials.

Interior Minister Kubrakov openly stated that Belarus is adopting China’s experience in:

• surveillance,

• combating “extremism,”

• automatic crowd control.

But China at least provides stability, income growth, and technological breakthroughs. What does the Belarusian regime give? Only fear. Only survival under the cameras’ gaze.

What does this mean for each of us?It means that you are no longer anonymous, neither in the subway, nor on the street, nor online. That you cannot feel free even in your own apartment. That any mistake, a gesture, the color of your clothes, a post, can be a reason for arrest. This is not just control. This is fear automated.

But this can still be stopped. I will tell you that totalitarianism only looks omnipotent while we remain silent.

What can we do?

• Talk about it. Each of us, in the family, among friends. Even though people like Chemodanova try to forbid us from even this out of fear.

• Help those who have already suffered. They are less visible, but they are many.

• Appeal to the international community. This is not "an internal matter of Belarus", what Lukashenko’s regime is doing is a crime.

• Work for the future. Openly outside Belarus and possibly secretly inside, create structures that, after the dictatorship falls, will dismantle these systems, break the digital chains, and restore freedom.

I want to address those who maintain this system — IT specialists, engineers, those at surveillance control panels. You may think: "I’m just doing my job". But you are not on a construction site. You are building a prison. Every line of code, every installation act is a contribution to digital dictatorship.

Stop. Join the side of freedom. History does not forgive those who serve oppression.

We believe: Belarus will be free. And digital too, but serving people, not the regime.

An Alternative Future

Under the rule of law, democratic legislation, and respect for civil liberties, the very technologies currently used for oppression could bring enormous benefits to society. Surveillance systems with facial recognition could genuinely help prevent and solve real crimes, ensuring citizen safety without total surveillance. Databases could be used effectively to improve public services, digitize healthcare, optimize traffic flows, and create “smart cities” that enhance quality of life rather than track every step. Access to banking operations under strict judicial control could be a tool to combat financial crimes and corruption, not a means of suppressing dissent. In a free and democratic Belarus, these digital tools would become a foundation for innovative development, transparent governance, and the creation of a society where technology empowers people rather than puts them under constant surveillance.

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