DATAS: Digital Authoritarianism in the South Caucasus
Join a lecture “Digital Authoritarianism in the South Caucasus” by Ilkin Huseynov and Cavid Ağa on December 10 at 19:00 Kyiv time. How do states use spyware, biometrics, and artificial intelligence to surveil citizens? Why have Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia chosen different models of digital control? And what tools of resistance remain available to activists, journalists, and artists?
Participation is free. The lecture will be in English, without translation. Use this link to register to participate in the event:
Register to take part in the event →
Ilkin Huseynov (b. 1991, Ganja, Azerbaijan) is an artist, cultural worker, and researcher based in Baku and the co-founder of Salaam Art Temple, an independent, community-run art space in Azerbaijan. He has recently begun a PhD on militarism and propaganda in Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet region, examining how data systems and surveillance layer onto older authoritarian habits. Working through an experimental research process, he uses sound, video, AI tools, archival/found material, tapes, and field recordings to explore memory, constructed realities, and imposed images. Across studio, performance, and public programs, Huseynov leverages new media to foster cross-border dialogue and socially engaged art.
Cavid Ağa (Javid Agha in English) is an exiled journalist, web developer, and digital researcher currently based in Warsaw. Working at the intersection of code and civic inquiry, he explores how data shapes narratives in the South Caucasus. Cavid is the founder of LNK.az, an AI-powered platform that uses natural language processing to evaluate media bias and reliability in the Azerbaijani information space. A reporter for bne IntelliNews (and formerly RFE/RL) he combines his background in computer science with investigative journalism to analyze media dynamics, digital censorship, and the sociology of the internet in Azerbaijan.
Topics to be covered:
- Three models of digital authoritarianism: Azerbaijan's "integrated fortress," Georgia's "centralized megaphone," and Armenia's "fragmented battlefield"
- The Pegasus scandal: how commercial Israeli spyware is used against journalists, human rights defenders, and opposition figures
- Biometric payments, facial recognition, and e-government as tools of mass surveillance
- Internet shutdowns during protests and military conflicts
- Tools of resistance: digital hygiene, encryption, creative strategies for archiving dissent
This lecture will be relevant not only to researchers but to anyone working with data, media, and cultural practices under authoritarian conditions.
DATAS (2025-26) is an assembly convened to amplify unheard voices from Central and Eastern Europe, and Southern Caucasus, reflecting on the relationship between the self, technology, and power. Produced in partnership between Goethe-Institut (Germany), Izolyatsia (Ukraine), MeetFactory (Czech Republic), Projekt Atol (Slovenia) and Tallinn Art Hall (Estonia).
Co-funded by the European Union under the Creative Europe program. The views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Co-funded by the New Democracy Fund / Danish Cultural Institute.
The cover features a photo by Jürgen Jester.