Guiding Questions

• Can private companies wield more power than governments?

• Who controls digital infrastructure — and who should?

• Is it just for a handful of corporations to shape global reality?

From Nation-States to Tech-States

In the 21st century, some of the most powerful entities in the world are not countries — they are companies.

Technology giants like Google, Apple, Meta (Facebook), Amazon, Microsoft, and Tencent:

• Control the flow of information

• Shape public opinion through algorithms

• Own the infrastructure of the internet

• Influence elections, laws, and even wars

• Operate across borders — but answer to no nation

They are digital empires with billions of “subjects” — but no voters.

Power Without Accountability

These corporations make decisions that affect nearly everyone:

• Whose voices are heard online

• What data is collected — and how it is used

• Which apps or services we can access

• What counts as “truth,” “harm,” or “security”

But unlike governments, they:

• Are not democratically elected

• Are not bound by human rights treaties

• Can ban or silence users without due process

• Often hide behind proprietary algorithms and secret policies

What happens when unelected CEOs have more power than elected presidents?

Follow the Money

Tech companies have amassed unprecedented wealth:

• Apple’s valuation has exceeded $3 trillion

• Amazon’s reach touches every corner of the supply chain

• Google and Meta dominate online advertising and search

• Data is the new oil — and you are the source

Their wealth buys influence:

• Lobbying lawmakers

• Funding academic research

• Dictating terms to smaller nations

This raises a question:

When private interest drives global infrastructure, can public justice survive?

Philosophical Perspectives

Shoshana Zuboff – Surveillance Capitalism

Argues that tech companies have created a new economic system that extracts personal data to shape — not just predict — behavior.

Jürgen Habermas

Warned that public discourse must be free and accessible. If corporate platforms replace the public sphere, democracy itself is endangered.

Hannah Arendt

Stressed the importance of public action and visibility in politics. When decisions are made in secrecy by unaccountable powers, justice withers.

Two Perspectives

Tech as Progress

These companies create innovation, connect the world, and offer tools that governments failed to deliver. Their efficiency and reach serve global needs.

Tech as Oligarchy

A handful of corporations dominate information, wealth, and influence — without transparency, fairness, or democratic checks.

A Thought Experiment

Imagine your country wants to regulate a tech platform to protect user rights.

The company threatens to pull out, shut down access, and cut off essential services.

Who really has the power?

The elected government — or the private platform?

Tools for Tech Justice

• Digital rights laws — privacy, data protection, algorithm transparency

• Break up monopolies — anti-trust enforcement across borders

• Public alternatives — ethical search engines, open-source platforms

• Global regulation — international cooperation to govern global platforms

• Algorithmic audits — reveal hidden biases and power structures

• Democratic tech governance — user participation in platform rules

Reflect and Discuss

• Should tech giants be treated like governments — with obligations to uphold justice?

• Can democracy survive without control over digital infrastructure?

• What rights should individuals have in the age of platform power?

Suggested Readings

• Shoshana Zuboff – The Age of Surveillance Capitalism

• Tim Wu – The Curse of Bigness

• Ethan Zuckerman – Mistrust: Why Losing Faith in Institutions Provides the Tools to Transform Them

• UN Human Rights Council – Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

• European Union – Digital Services Act