Abstract

The last decade has seen a tremendous expansion of cyberspace. Democratization is paramount to freedom, personal welfare and international security. A universally common notion holds that cyberspace fosters the promotion of human rights and political democratization. How can we be positive that this idea is valid and its implications are indeed to be expected? The existing body of research on the topic has yielded inconclusive results, even after decades of extensive research and growing empiric data sets. The article claims that application of a strict scientific approach is beneficial to shed light on this important topic, and proposes a more stringent logical methodology to improve understanding of the matter. This article proposes following Popper's guidelines for scientific inquiry: demarcation between science and non-science using the falsifiability criterion. After a brief introduction to the field of inquiry and the proposed methodology, a refutable theory is stated and a hypothesis derived. For instance: A growing measure of political freedom should be experienced and measured following growing information and communication technologies (ICT) availability. The hypothesis is subjected to two critical tests, seeking a refutation. The global state of cyberspace and democracy is examined in the article, and the impact of technological changes in Russia is presented as a case study. The results of such a Popperian exercise suggest that further research is necessary to support the common notion that cyberspace fosters the promotion of Human Rights and political democratization.