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Flashmag! Issue 159 April 2025
Amazon controls essential logistics infrastructures. Elon Musk’ s Site X becomes a de facto public square, where moderation is at the whim of its owner. We are witnessing the privatization of sovereignty, where CEOs act as digital monarchs, unelected and unaccountable, ruling over billions of users. AI is no longer just a tool; it is fast becoming a gatekeeper of opportunity. Algorithms determine credit ratings, job visibility, information flows, court convictions and much more. As AI systems become more autonomous, they could enforce compliance through machine-optimized governance, with humans reduced to data inputs in a system that prioritizes efficiency over empathy. Imagine a world where every action is scored, ranked, filtered and judged by machines trained on biased data and corporate objectives.
No way out?
Some people talk about decentralized technologies- blockchain, peer-to-peer networks, opensource alternatives- as a way out of the system. But what happens when these technologies are also co-opted? Or worse, criminalized? If dominant platforms align themselves with public authorities, alternatives can be demonized as dangerous, unregulated or subversive. The very tools designed to break free from digital feudalism could be assimilated, or even banned..
Is resistance possible?
It’ s easy to feel powerless in the face of this creeping technocracy. Regulatory efforts such as GDPR or US antitrust lawsuits are often too slow, too fragmented and too easily circumvented.
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