The Internet Has Become Too American to Trust
4 hours ago
- #tech-regulation
- #internet-governance
- #enshittification
- The article criticizes the centralization and 'enshittification' of the American-controlled internet, where platforms initially attract users before degrading service for all to benefit corporate executives and investors.
- It outlines a three-stage 'enshittification' process: platforms lock in users, then exploit them to attract business customers, and finally exploit everyone, including business customers, for corporate gain.
- Big Tech companies are depicted as monopolistic, corrupt, and fused with political power, exemplified by their alignment with the Trump regime, enabling surveillance, exploitation, and geopolitical coercion.
- The author argues that reliance on American tech poses existential risks, as it allows political figures like Trump to weaponize technology for control or retaliation against other nations and institutions.
- A 'post-American internet' is advocated, supported by three 'armies': digital rights activists, entrepreneurs/technologists seeking alternative solutions, and national security hawks concerned over dependency on hostile foreign tech.
- Legal and policy obstacles, such as Canada's Copyright Modernization Act (Bill C-11), hinder efforts to modify or replace enshittified tech, but there's growing global political will to challenge corporate dominance and build a more open, auditable internet.
- The article concludes by linking corporate control to broader societal threats, suggesting that taming corporations like Limited Liability Companies is a more immediate priority than speculative AI risks, to prevent economic calamity and fascist resurgence.