[nickslaughter02]

  going through a shift toward authoritarianism of various flavors

It is the current establishment that is pushing for these laws. Switzerland and EU have proven you don't need authoritarianism to constantly attack privacy and security of people.

[conradfr]

And a lot of decision in the EU are made by unelected people, great democracy.

[nickslaughter02]

Unelected and anonymous.

"EU Commission refuses to disclose authors behind its mass surveillance proposal" https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44168134

[dingnuts]

Attacking individual privacy and security is still authoritarianism when done by a democratically elected government. That's why it's important to be a Republic founded on a rule of law that limits what the majority may do; eg in the US a majority cannot take away rights of expression from individuals.

The EU is authoritarian in many ways. How the laws get made is secondary to whether or not they are authoritarian.

[api]

I see two big brands of authoritarianism on the rise right now.

One is populist strongman rule, usually but not always of a right wing bent. We have this rising in the US.

The other is technocratic corporatism, the model of China and it seems a faction of the EU.

Both endlessly malign democracy and liberalism as decadent, chaotic, and responsible for an endless parade of bogie men they will protect you against.

[StefanBatory]

Depends, in Poland our conservatives are way more aligned with Republicans.