Resisting the Tech Coup: A Conversation with Marietje Schaake
Sep 22, 2024
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Join Marietje Schaake, author of *The Tech Coup*, Dr. Alondra Nelson, a distinguished professor and former Biden advisor, and Nobel laureate Maria Ressa as they tackle the urgent issues surrounding technology's threat to democracy. They discuss the concept of the 'tech coup' and its implications for disinformation and governance. Schaake shares her insights from a blockchain summit, highlighting the need for regulation. The conversation also covers tech policy during election season and the complex dynamics of India's tech landscape, emphasizing the need for accountability in tech governance.
Marietje Schaake highlights the dual role of technology in amplifying voices for democracy while also enabling oppression by authoritarian regimes.
The podcast emphasizes the urgent need for regulations that ensure tech companies are held accountable for their societal impacts and influence on democracy.
Deep dives
The Connection Between Technology and Democracy
The book emphasizes the critical intersection of technology and democracy, using personal anecdotes to illustrate this relationship. The author reflects on her journey as a member of the European Parliament, noting how technology initially appeared to amplify unheard voices during events like the Green Movement in Iran. However, this optimism has been overshadowed by the realization that technology can also facilitate oppression, as repressive regimes exploit advanced tools to monitor and control populations. This duality highlights the urgent need for establishing regulations and frameworks that prioritize human rights and democratic governance.
Understanding the Tech Coup
The term 'tech coup' refers to the gradual erosion of power from democratic institutions to tech companies, raising concerns about accountability and governance. The author discusses how companies in various sectors, both known and obscured, have gained influence over national security and public resources without sufficient scrutiny or checks. Disinformation campaigns, especially in the U.S., demonstrate how technology has undermined trust in democratic processes, necessitating a closer examination of how power dynamics shift in the digital landscape. This situation underscores the importance of recognizing where decision-making authority resides and advocating for greater accountability.
Regulatory Challenges and Opportunities
Exploring the contrasting approaches of the U.S. and EU to tech regulation, the author notes that while the EU has made strides with comprehensive frameworks like GDPR and the AI Act, challenges remain in implementation and enforcement. The author argues that European regulations, while promising, often lack direct measures to curb the growing power of tech companies, risking gaps that can be exploited. Simultaneously, there are emerging signs of progress in the U.S., where national security concerns have taken precedence in tech policy discussions, possibly paving the way for more robust regulatory frameworks. The need for proactive measures is evident, as stakeholders must navigate the rapidly evolving technology landscape.
The Role of Citizens in Tech Evolution
The podcast discusses the responsibility of tech companies in mitigating the societal impacts of new technologies, particularly how citizens often bear the costs of negative consequences. The conversation highlights how technological advancements can lead to job displacement and social instability, yet companies often evade accountability for these outcomes. Citizens' understanding of technology becomes vital in shaping laws and ensuring that the deployment of new technologies aligns with public interests. Ultimately, there is a pressing need for informed societal debates about technology and its implications to ensure democracy remains robust against the encroachment of private interests.
Marietje Schaake is the author of The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley. Dr. Alondra Nelson, a Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, who served as deputy assistant to President Joe Biden and Acting Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), calls Schaake “a twenty-first century Tocqueville” who “looks at Silicon Valley and its impact on democratic society with an outsider’s gimlet eye.” Nobel prize winner Maria Ressa says Schaake's new book “exposes the unchecked, corrosive power that is undermining democracy, human rights, and our global order.” And author and activist Cory Doctorow says the book offers “A thorough and necessary explanation of the parade of policy failures that enshittified the internet—and a sound prescription for its disenshittification.” Justin Hendrix spoke to Schaake just before the book's publication on September 24, 2024.
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