California is the global center of technological advancement. A recent panel of researchers from Berkeley Social Sciences and other scholars convened last week at the Social Science Matrix to discuss how the rise of powerful tech entities and the rapid diffusion of new technologies across the state is reshaping society.
The “California Spotlight on Tech Authoritarianism” event panelists discussed the implications of these advancements, the undermining of democratic processes and the expanding frontiers of tech authoritarianism.
As tech billionaires accumulate greater political power, some observers are raising concerns about their impact on democratic frameworks — a phenomenon that some scholars describe as “tech authoritarianism.”
Berkeley Geography graduate student Lee Crandall, a panelist who studies this phenomenon, notes that tech authoritarians tend to dismiss liberal democracies as inefficient, favoring instead a privatized, technocratic model of governance in which major decisions are made by private-sector leaders rather than elected officials.
Another panelist, UC Davis Science and Technology Studies Professor Finn Brunton, discussed the emergence and manifestation of tech authoritarianism in California.
“Tech authoritarianism in California is distinct because of its fundamentally libertarian character,” said Brunton. “It’s a combination of conservatism and hedonism that presents itself as political dissonance. The main goal of this ideology is to build a new intellectual aristocracy of oligarchs.”
Lee Crandall said their research focuses on “freedom cities,” a project advocated for by tech companies and libertarian think tanks. These cities, owned by tech companies, would be built on former federal land. They would become deregulated areas not bound to federal regulations, such as environmental or labor laws.
“Freedom cities are designed to undermine democratic processes,” said Crandall. “They seek autonomy to experiment with their startups, the land and new political systems.”
Crandall also explored the advent of “network states,” a reimagining of the traditional structure of nations. These online communities use cryptocurrency to develop their own nation-states. They begin as geographically decentralized and ideologically aligned communities, but aim to eventually acquire physical territory.
“The network state project is calling to ‘reclaim’ the west. Its primary goal is to reform existing governments from within,” said Crandall. “It’s building on the model of the ethnostate to build states within states. They have an aggressive, imperialist character.”
Elijah Baucom, a lecturer in the UC Berkeley School of Information and the director of the Cybersecurity Clinic, also spoke at the event. He discussed the consequences of surveillance capitalism, an economic system that profits from people’s data, and its disproportionate impact on black and brown communities.
“Surveillance is nothing new: black and indigenous people in the U.S. have never been able to move freely,” said Baucom. “The difference lies in the onset of the information age. We’re currently witnessing uncontrolled and unregulated growth at the expense of humanity.”
Baucom concluded the event by encouraging attendees to take action: “Even small actions can have larger effects. Think about how your local government is handling surveillance. Ask if you’re complicit. Ask what your responsibility is to your community.”