Digital Dictatorship
Text by Regula Heinzelmann
April 27 2026
Digital dictatorship is not necessarily synonymous with political dictatorship, but it can be used by the latter as a suitable instrument.
The internet even serves a similar function to the printing press 500 years ago; it makes it easier to access information outside of the mainstream media, which often spreads state propaganda. One simply has to use it responsibly. In Europe we have a modern inquisition, with internet we can stop it. To achieve this, we must resist government control of the internet.
Compuls to use a mobile phone
Many events, trips, and hotels require online booking and payment, either by credit card or through platforms like PayPal, which has recently proven to be insecure. Since scammers also operate in this area, one has to wonder how to get one's money back if the event doesn't take place or if one discovers during the trip that the hotel doesn't exist – both of which have happened to me, although luckily I only noted the hotel's address and didn't book it.
What's worse is that this cell phone addiction is detrimental to social communication. You're sitting at a table with people, and they're constantly fiddling with their phones instead of having a focused conversation. People are always getting in your way, not paying attention to their surroundings, but staring intently at their phones. And worst of all, many accidents have already happened because people don't even put their phones away when driving a car or riding a bike.
There are good reasons for this; these devices often do what they want on their own, not what the user wants. And it's not just people who don't understand technology who are annoyed by this. My friend Gero Greb, co-author of this website, has been a computer scientist for 50 years and he doesn't like mobile phones either.
Of course, this does not mean that we have to manage without the internet and mobile phone.
Digital identity in the EU
The EU Digital Identity (eID) Wallet is Europe’s answer to the challenges of identification. It will enable users to access online and offline public and private services, store and share digital documents, and create binding signatures. Member States will make wallets available to every citizen, resident and business by the end of 2026.
Public and private sector services are increasingly offered online, creating a growing need for secure digital authentication. At the same time, threats to digital privacy have become apparent, with people increasingly worried about profiling and surveillance.
„The EU Digital Identity Framework based on the principle that everyone should always control their digital identity. EU Digital Identity Wallets are the means to achieve this goal.“ so the Europaean Commission.
Citizens should be able to carry their digital identity with them across the EU, moving seamlessly across borders without ever losing control of their data, with privacy and security at the heart of the project.
https://commission.europa.eu/topics/digital-economy-and-society/european-digital-identity_en
Comment: There is a risk that the e-ID is based on open-source software. This is a red alert for anyone with even a basic understanding of IT. Security cannot be guaranteed under these circumstances.
In EU we have the Regulation 2016/679 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation). The e-ID is not compatible with this, particularly when it is misused for surveillance on social media or for the transfer of medical data.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/DE/TXT/?uri=celex:32016R0679
Digital Euro
In addition, there is no European electronic payment option that covers the entire euro area. Current European digital payment solutions, such as cards issued by European payment schemes, mainly cater to national markets and specific use cases. The lack of European payment solutions available on a European scale and the difficulty faced by European PSPs in keeping pace with technological advances mean that Europe is not competitive within its own market.
At the same time, the use of cash continues to decline in 2024, cash accounted for only 24% of day-to-day payments, and the share of companies not accepting cash has tripled to 12% over the past three years.
Comment: We consumers must insist that cash is accepted.
The digital euro is designed to address these challenges by providing a public, pan-European digital payment solution that covers all use cases and allows people to pay everywhere in Europe, while being resilient, inclusive and future-proof. The digital euro is designed to complement physical cash. It would offer a digital form of cash backed by the ECB that is universally accepted and free to use, and could be used for person-to-person and retail transactions in both physical and digital environments. Consequently, it would preserve freedom of choice for all individuals and businesses in the euro area, support competition and innovation in the payments market and strengthen the strategic autonomy of the European financial system.
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/digital_euro/progress/html/ecb.deprp202510.de.html#toc3
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/digital_euro/progress/html/index.de.html
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