Survive the American techno-imperialism

Source of the image: https://www.spellingmistakescostlives.com/single-post/us-empire

In my last post, I explained how to map a keyboard key in Linux. In this post, I want to provide ideas on “How to survive American techno-imperialism”.

For readers who have not heard about techno-imperialism before, let me give you a simple definition:

American techno-imperialism refers to the U.S. using its technological power to dominate global markets, influence politics, and shape cultures, often at the expense of other nations’ autonomy.

The antagonist to techno-imperialism is digital sovereignty.

Digital sovereignty emphasizes the control and autonomy of nations over their own digital infrastructure, data, and technology policies.

Resisting external influence has become a critical concern for democracies. Democratic processes require objectivity and healthy media coverage of events. The influence of big tech in the realm of social media and beyond puts democratic processes at risk.

Make Europe First, But Not

There is no autonomy without severance. Some connections and partnerships have to be cut in order to form new ones. As the US has become an unstable partner and decided to proof its power, having a strong alliance within Europe is essential.

The ideas of autonomy, independence, and sovereignty are thriving all over the world. For the good and the bad. The idea of sovereignty shares traits with nationalism. If we want autonomy, we have to make sure that we don’t get fascism.

So have to make a clear distinction between sovereignty and nationalism. Sovereignty is not about closing borders and improving at the cost of foreigners. It is about cooperation and participation.

Don’t Fall for Fear Mongering

The idea that we can hardly influence anything and are at the mercy of other forces is unjustified. A simple question is proof: How many people live in Europe, and how many live in the United States?

Europe is the cradle of democracy and its values. Let’s make sure that we are up to this responsibility. The EU has merit and therefore we should not be overcome by feat.

Self-Host, Federate, and Cooperate

Techno-imperialism implies that data and computing is power. It is a power that shapes the world. Data moves without border. The companies in charge are US cloud and software providers.

We share the most valuable information with these provider. And with every transaction that goes abroad, we hurt our own software industry. It is time since long to consider European alternatives.

Many say (especially lobbyists) that there are no good alternatives to the established players. But this is simply not true: European Alternatives

There are plenty of European alternatives. And ff you expect them to deliver the same features and experience, you failed to understand the obvious. Big tech does not deserve any alternatives. The very existence of big tech is a problem. We can do better.

Call Out the Bullies

So, who are the bad guys? From an economic viewpoint, it is simple. Monopolists are bad for an economy and lead to an overall welfare loss.

Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and AirBnB (to name a few) are tech monopolists. They hurt the economy and the world. And don’t get me wrong here, there are also European monopolies such as Spotify or SAP that we should get rid of.

The success of these companies comes often at the had of externalizing costs. Nothing of value is lost if these companies don’t exist.