In Whose Interest: The Nation-State or Big Tech?

Asharq Al-Awsat, London, February 7

In 2015, reports surfaced about the potential penetration of Chinese entities into the computer systems of a number of major American technology companies, and the subsequent theft of intellectual property from those devices. In response, former President Barack Obama wanted to impose sanctions on China. However, he was dissuaded from doing so by leaders of affected companies, who claimed that any action against Beijing would prove far more costly than the cost of the theft itself. This is because they relied heavily on the Chinese market and Chinese factories. All of this prompted Obama to change his mind and rely, instead, on a joint statement with the Chinese president, in which the two leaders pledged to combat cybercrimes and cybertheft.  I’m bringing up this story intentionally, at a time when a new “Cold War” is emerging between two camps: one trying to protect the role of the “nation-state” on the grounds that it is a fundamental component of the global system; and a second, consisting of technology companies trying to undermine the current international order and replace it with a system in which the nation-state surrenders its power to multinational corporations that transcend borders. A case in point is the decision to block former US President Donald Trump from platforms like Twitter and Facebook. These platforms decided that Trump’s opinions, despite being supported by over 70 million Americans, didn’t align with their values as companies. The system that these companies are creating isn’t one based on the principle of democracy. Rather, it is the tyranny of the minority: a system ruled by a handful of unrelated individuals who run these companies. The intensity of this conflict has only grown stronger in recent months. With the increasing dependence of governments on the services provided by these large companies, the equation has become unbalanced. Instead of these companies relying on the state’s support and care for them, the tides have turned and the governments are those who now depend on Big Tech to survive. In 2020, Amazon announced that it would ban police use of facial recognition software for a year, effectively halting law enforcement’s ability to identify criminals through online systems. Recently, the European Union escalated this confrontation by amending laws pertaining to the protection of personal information, in a way that prevents tech companies from monetizing data belonging to European Union citizens, even when that data is collected outside the countries of the union. While the European Union is escalating the confrontation and trying to tame these companies, the matter is different in America, because most of these companies are either American or Chinese companies. These companies take advantage of public support in order to influence the policies of the American administration, either directly or indirectly. As for the Middle East, we do not have such companies and we are not as strong and organized as the European Union, which negotiates with them and confronts them as a common threat under unified policies. The COVID-19 pandemic helped in restoring the prestige and importance of the nation-state, which proved to be the most effective mechanism to control and organize societies. And while tech companies initially lagged behind, they quickly picked up the slack and introduced ways in which individuals could continue maintaining their normal lives under this new reality. This came into play with things like remote communication technologies, health passports, surveillance and tracking, among other things. Personally, I believe that Arab countries that care about maintaining and strengthening the role of the nation-state should use their armies and research institutions to establish technology companies that provide them with their needs, instead of entrusting it to the private sector. The reliance on technology companies has become far greater than their ability to control them and reconcile their business interests with those of the state. – Bassam Al-Binmohamed (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)