BREAKING DOWN DEMOCRACY: Goals, Strategies, and Methods of Modern Authoritarians len" the democratic revolution from the Polish people the PiS government is an ambitious law that, in the by failing to carry out a proper purge of communists name of counterterrorism, gives the security services and their collaborators." PiS even initiated a cam- sweeping powers over telecommunications and paign to sully the reputation of Lech Walesa, leader of personal information. With this legislation, Poland the anticommunist Solidarity movement in the 1980s, became one of the first countries in the democratic by accusing him of working as a communist agent.’ world to embrace the use of telecommunications shutdowns in a particular area, a measure that Since coming to power with a parliamentary majority smacks of digital repression.22 in October 2015, PiS has embarked on a course of change that places it solidly in the illiberal camp, with The law gives Poland’s domestic intelligence agency many of the initiatives mirroring those enacted by unrestricted access to personal data without ap- Fidesz in Hungary. proval from a court or any other body. Tax reports, vehicle information, insurance information, financial As in Hungary, an initial focus for the new government statements, and other records are all now available was securing control of the Constitutional Tribunal. to the intelligence service of a government that has PiS has moved to pack the court with its own appoin- made a point of naming party loyalists to key security tees, using tactics that are blatantly illegal according positions. The legislation also grants the domestic to Polish law and which have drawn criticism both security agency the ability to shut down websites. The from the EU and the United States.’® However, party action can be reviewed by a court within five days, but leader Jarostaw Kaczynski, who holds a seat in the this is far from reassuring in light of the government's parliament but no formal government