Trump-Backed Big Tech Reshapes Global Power Dynamics

Under President Donald Trump's administration, Silicon Valley's role in geopolitics is undergoing a significant transformation, with major tech companies increasingly aligning with U.S. foreign policy to serve as instruments of coercion, potentially reshaping global sovereignty and economies. The current Trump administration, often dubbed "Trump 2.0," is notably influenced by tech billionaires who leverage technology and corporate power to advance privatization, expand their influence, and reshape democratic institutions at the expense of citizens' rights. This shift underscores the growing concentration of power among a small tech elite using their control over technology to implement anti-democratic visions of society and the economy. Meanwhile, concerns about democratic erosion have sparked initiatives like Demos' Waves project, which explores how new technologies and AI can foster local democratic engagement and repair the fractured relationship between citizens and the state. Additionally, issues of digital ownership highlight a growing sense of consumer vulnerability, as exemplified by cases where digital content and games are revoked or removed despite prior purchase, illustrating the rise of a 'digital feudalism' where users only license, but do not own, digital goods, raising ethical and legal questions about consumer rights in the digital age.