Digital Power State of Power 2023

1 February 2023

120 minutes read

Big Tech has concentrated vast economic power with the collusion of states, which has resulted in expanded surveillance, spiraling disinformation and weakened workers' rights. TNI’s 11th flagship State of Power report exposes the actors, the strategies and the implications of this digital power grab, and shares ideas on how movements might bring technology back under popular control.

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State of Power 2023 - Digital Power - full report (PDF, 16.62 MB)

Average time to read: 120 minutes minutes

Publication type: Online report
Part of series: State of Power , 11
ISBN/ISSN: 978-90-70563-88-2

Authors

Nick Buxton
Cory Doctorow
Kean Birch
Nils Peters
Roberto J. González
Maximilian Jung
Tomás Balmaceda
Tobías J. Schleider
Karina Pedace
Mizue Aizeki
Laura Bingham
Santiago Narváez
Julia Choucair Vizoso
Chris Byrnes
Anastasia Kavada
Tina Askanius
Anne Kaun
Alice Mattoni
Julie Uldam

Infographics

Geopolitics of digital power Infographics
Big Tech - The rise of GAFAAMT Infographics
Surveillance society Infographics
Digital counterpower Infographics
References for infographics State of Power 2023

Featured essays

Seizing the means of computation – how popular movements can topple Big Tech monopolies Interview with Cory Doctorow
State of Power

Digital Futures
Longread by

Cory Doctorow

Publication date: 1 February 2023
There Are No Markets Anymore From Neoliberalism to Big Tech
State of Power

Digital Futures
Longread by

Kean Birch

Publication date: 3 February 2023
Holding the strings The role of finance in shaping Big Tech
State of Power

Digital Futures

Finance
Longread by

Nils Peters

Publication date: 4 February 2023
Militarising Big Tech The Rise of Silicon Valley’s Digital Defence Industry
State of Power

Digital Futures

Militarism
Longread by

Roberto J. González

Publication date: 7 February 2023
Abolitionist creativity How intellectual property can hack digital power
State of Power

Digital Futures
Longread by

Julia Choucair Vizoso

Chris Byrnes
Publication date: 9 February 2023
Digital capitalism is a mine not a cloud Exploring the extractivism at the root of the data economy
State of Power

Digital Futures
Longread by

Maximilian Jung

Publication date: 10 February 2023
What Artificial Intelligence is hiding Microsoft and vulnerable girls in northern Argentina
State of Power

Digital Futures
Longread by

Karina Pedace

Tomás Balmaceda

Tobías J. Schleider
Publication date: 13 February 2023
The Everywhere Border Digital Migration Control Infrastructure in the Americas
State of Power

Digital Futures
Longread by

Mizue Aizeki

Laura Bingham

Santiago Narváez
Publication date: 14 February 2023
Tying up Goliath Activist strategies for confronting and harnessing digital power
State of Power

Social Movements

Digital Futures
Longread by

Anastasia Kavada

Tina Askanius

Anne Kaun

Alice Mattoni

Julie Uldam
Publication date: 14 February 2023

How popular movements can topple Big Tech monopolies

Podcast

In Conversation with Cory Doctorow

We can draw hope from the way that digital technology is profoundly different and genuinely exceptional from other kinds of technology, which is that digital technology is universal. There's really only one kind of computer we know how to build. It's the Turing complete von Neumann machine. Formally, that is a computer that can run every programme that we know how to write, which means that if there is a computer that is designed to surveil you, there is also a programme that can run on that computer that will frustrate that surveillance.

Listen - 1:06:29 minutes

Guest essays in collaboration with IT for Change

Capitalism in the Age of Intellectual Monopoly Guest essay in collaboration with IT for Change
Longread by

Cecilia Rikap

Cedric Durand
Publication date: 29 January 2023
Changing Dynamics of Labor and Capital Guest essay in collaboration with IT for Change

Longread by

Jai Vipra

Publication date: 29 January 2023
Big Tech and the Smartification of Agriculture Guest essay in collaboration with IT for Change
Longread by

Felix Maschewski

Anna-Verena Nosthoff
Publication date: 29 January 2023
Web3 and the Metaverse - Which Way for the Web? Guest essay in collaboration with IT for Change

Longread by

James Muldoon

Publication date: 29 January 2023
Centering Society in Big Tech Reform Guest essay in collaboration with IT for Change

Longread by

Richard Hill

Publication date: 29 January 2023

Artwork

The illustrations were done by Zoran Svilar and Anđela Janković.

The infographics were done by Evan Clayburg.

Illustrating Digital Power State of Power 2023
State of Power

Digital Futures
Longread by

Zoran Svilar

Anđela Janković
Publication date: 1 February 2023

Authors

Nick Buxton
Cory Doctorow
Kean Birch
Nils Peters
Roberto J. González
Maximilian Jung
Tomás Balmaceda
Tobías J. Schleider
Karina Pedace
Mizue Aizeki
Laura Bingham
Santiago Narváez
Julia Choucair Vizoso
Chris Byrnes
Anastasia Kavada
Tina Askanius
Anne Kaun
Alice Mattoni
Julie Uldam

Editors

Nick Buxton
Deborah Eade

Translators

Karen Lang

Published at

clacso.org

Researcher for the infographics: Hannah Hasenberger

The editorial advisory board of State of Power 2023 comprised of Sofia Scasserra, Deepti Bhartur (IT for Change), Nuria del Viso (Fuhem Ecosocial).