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Technology Colonialism

Posted by Soulskill on from the patents-instead-of-flags dept.

jrepin sends an editorial from Anjuan Simmons on how tech companies are behaving more and more in a manner that evokes colonialism. Quoting: Technology companies are increasingly being treated like sovereign nations. A nation with sovereignty has a right to conduct its internal affairs without interference from other nations. ... When technology companies are feted by foreign ministers and also refuse an invitation from the leader of their own country of origin, they exhibit the characteristics of a group that wants to be treated as a peer to heads of state. Technology companies understand the power they wield in the global economy. ... If Silicon Valley is allowed to become the central repository of information about people around the world, then there is a danger of setting up a form of imperialism based on personal data. Just as the royal powers of old reached far into the lives of distant colonized people, technology companies gain immense control with every terabyte of personal data they store and analyze.

3 of 81 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Acting like != being by mrchaotica · · Score: 4, Informative

    Corporations don't publicly arrest, imprison, or kill people

    In Missouri, they do now!

    --

    "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  2. Re:Acting like != being by mrchaotica · · Score: 5, Informative

    To make my previous post more clear: the letter I linked to was the governor explaining why he vetoed the bill that would give private security officers the same powers as commissioned police. As of two days ago, his veto was overridden and that bill is now law.

    --

    "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  3. Re:Acting like != being by halivar · · Score: 4, Informative

    Corporations care about money above all else - countries care about many things.

    But most of those things boil down to money, either in cash or resources. Almost every war, even wars purportedly of religion, begin because someone has something someone else wants.

    I have seen no corporation coming anywhere close to claiming to have the powers of a country. It simply does not exist.

    The RIAA and the MPAA use to send out "swat" teams with their jackets emblazoned with their cartel acronym (in the style of the FBI or ATF) to shakedown street bootleggers. Orin Hatch suggested in a senate hearing on piracy that the RIAA should be allowed to remotely destroy computers hosting songs. The idea is not lunacy.