We are Digital Serfs

by Ashby Hayes

We are living in the age of Digital Feudalism. A thousand years ago most of Europe was ruled by Feudal lords. Serfs (aka vassals) were given use of the land in exchange for labor. They farmed and worked the land and got to keep just enough to survive, and the kings and lords owned the land and kept everything else. The trade off was that the serfs were also given protection from marauding armies and foes. They could depend on their leaders keeping them safe. It was an unfair system that supported a class of obscenely wealthy elites, with small benefit of safety for the people who did the vast majority of the work. 

Feudalism has returned, we exist in the Age of Digital Feudalism and we are all virtual serfs. We create, share, and experience life online and the feudal lords of Big Tech reap the billions in riches from our activity and our identities. We supply them with endless amounts of personal data and information and reap the rewards. However, unlike the serfs, we don’t get a sense of safety or security. Foreign countries are bent on eroding our democracy, and bad actors are bent on sharing false stories and misrepresentations to keep the elite in power. 

The Pandemic Wealth Gap  

Last year Big Tech generated 1.2 trillion in revenue. The rich got richer while the poor were suffering from unemployment during a pandemic. These tech lords started out with noble intentions to create connections, to share information, to evolve humanity, but somewhere along the way greed took over and we are now living in the modern equivalent of the dark ages. 

The Social Dilemma

In January of 2020, former employees of Big Tech joined forces to sound the alarm in the documentary The Social Dilemma, they highlighted the unintended problems with the products they had created. Millions of people watched, and were horrified by the reality of the control that technology has over our lives. 

Privacy and Profit

Social media companies and many others profit from you ignoring your right to privacy. They profit every time you click ‘accept’. They profit every time you see an ad. They profit every time you buy something from one of those ads. Laws like the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) give you the right to prevent companies from using or profiting from your data. Unfortunately most companies make it incredibly difficult to opt-out or change your privacy settings. 

The Call for Data Justice 

We need a digital renaissance, we need a Data Justice movement to transform our digital society into one with more equity for everyone. Not just a handful of wealthy men who run Big Tech. We need to give people the rights and control over their data so they can have the opportunities to control their data, advocate for themselves, and benefit from their digital identities. We need people to start talking about Data Justice and advocate for nationwide laws. We need companies like Aviame who create tools and services to help make it easy for people to manage their data.