TLDR:

Buterin says calling surveillance “dystopian” without context fails to persuade those outside the privacy debate. 
Iran’s model shows how dictatorship plus surveillance lets regimes survive with almost no public coalition support. 
Western surveillance differs by projecting medium control globally, reaching individuals far beyond its own borders. 
Buterin calls for basic internet access of 1 Mbps to be treated as a right outside nation-state control.

 

Surveillance and its role in shifting political power have drawn attention from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.

In a recent X post, Buterin argued that mass surveillance is not merely “dystopian” in an aesthetic sense. Rather, it produces a measurable change in the balance of power between citizens and the state.

He pointed to Iran as a central example of how surveillance enables a regime to maintain control with minimal public support.

When Surveillance Becomes a Tool of Political Control

Buterin shared a blog post examining Iran’s digital surveillance infrastructure in detail. He noted that freedom advocates often label such systems “dystopian” without explaining the concrete harm involved.

This framing, he wrote, acts as a “semantic stop sign.” It signals disapproval but does little to persuade those outside the same political sphere.

The actual harm, Buterin argued, is a clear and measurable shift in political power. Surveillance gives governments the means to detect and punish challenges to the status quo before they grow.

Citizens, as a result, lose any real opportunity to push for political change. This dynamic allows a regime to remain in power for an indefinite period.

He drew on The Dictator’s Handbook to explain the broader historical pattern at work. The book separates governments into large-coalition and small-coalition types.

Large-coalition governments must satisfy a broader base of people and tend to govern more humanely. Small-coalition ones have far less incentive to serve the wider public interest.

Buterin warned of a dangerous combination he described as an “unholy trifecta.” Dictatorship, automated warfare, and surveillance together allow a regime to dominate an entire population.

A government could theoretically survive with a coalition of just one person at the top. Iran, he noted, already shows what surveillance paired with dictatorship alone can produce on the ground.

Western Surveillance Carries Its Own Distinct Risks

Buterin also challenged the common framing that treats Iran, Russia, and China as the only surveillance threats. He pointed out that Israeli and American tech companies engage in widespread surveillance activities as well.

Other Western firms, he added, are not exempt from the same criticism. Each model, he wrote, deserves scrutiny on its own terms.

He drew a clear distinction between two different surveillance models currently in operation. The Iran-type model exercises deep, concentrated control over a specific geographic territory.

It requires active participation from the government that governs that area directly. The Western model, however, operates across a far wider range with moderate but meaningful reach.

This global reach carries its own serious concerns for individuals and officials alike. A politician or civil servant in one country may now face pressure or blackmail from foreign intelligence agencies.

Buterin cited recent US actions against EU officials and International Criminal Court personnel as relevant examples. These cases show that even democratic governments direct surveillance tools against foreign rivals.

As a partial path forward, Buterin pointed to privacy technology and censorship-resistant internet infrastructure. He proposed that basic internet access, around 1 Mbps, should be treated as a global human right.

This right, he argued, should exist beyond the jurisdiction of any single nation-state. Closing the power gap between individuals and governments, he wrote, is a pressing need for the world today.

The post Vitalik Buterin Says Surveillance Is Not “Dystopian”: It Is a Real Shift in Political Power appeared first on Blockonomi.

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Filed under: Bitcoin - @ February 18, 2026 5:21 pm