One issue (came up with covid but to a lesser extent) is that their governance structure incentives bureaucrats to cover up and inflate figures at risk of losing their livelihood. Also widespread suppression of free speech rights/democracy disincentivizes common workers from speaking out when there are issues or valid criticisms of policies.

In the modern era, while I may not be a big fan of the government's wide berth when it comes to online surveillance, it allows them closely to monitor activist groups and the general temperament of their population. They do use this information to prosecute people, but they also can use the information gathered to adjust policy and maintain the legitimacy of their power.