Digital Coup: The Conspiracy to Thwart Global Democracy - Hardcover

"A concise summation of digital threats to democracy." --Library Journal

"A hard-hitting investigative look at cyber warfare and various attempts to subvert Western democracies through disinformation and other means." --Booklist

"An urgent, eye-opening political science book about how authoritarian governments weaponize social media to attack democracies." --Foreword Reviews

The rise of AI and misinformation warfare is leading to racial and political polarization and democratic erosion on a global level.

We are at a unique period in world history. While advances in digital technology have brought the world closer than ever, they have also been used as tools of oppression, driving misinformation and deepening divisions. AI-generated propaganda, radicalization pipelines, and profit-driven algorithms are reshaping political landscapes, often without our awareness. How did we get here, and what can we do?

In Digital Coup, international lawyer, professor, and former national security professional Darin Johnson uses his expertise to explore how AI-driven disinformation and social media echo chambers unravel truth, deepen societal divisions, and erode democracy. Johnson walks us through the digital battleground where tech companies monetize political anxieties and extremists weaponize misinformation. He introduces us to the shadowy networks trafficking in data and disinformation, showing how AI's power is being wielded to manipulate, polarize, and exploit. This world, he argues, is shaped both by those who engineer these systems and by those who refuse to challenge them.

With clear-eyed urgency, Johnson dismantles the myth of a neutral internet and calls for a radical rethinking of our digital future. Digital Coup is a vital intervention, offering both a wake-up call and a vision for a more informed, united, and accountable online world.