The New World: Surveillance states are transforming the technology revolution

The internet and the digital revolution continue to transform the world around us. The human experience has been changed as smart phones, social media networks, and the tech companies that build them are now a fundamental part of how we live and work.

As Benedict Evans, renowned tech analyist with decades of experience in Silicon Valley, explains, in a relatively short amount of time “technology has gone from being interesting, but not actually central, to being a systemically important part of society.”

This development has brought benefits for many around the world. But there are also concerns surrounding this rapid revolution. Is Big Tech too powerful? How should we think about the role played by platforms such as Facebook and Twitter in our modern democracies?

And how is technology strengthening the power of surveillance states? In the middle of the geopolitical changes of the last decade, the Chinese state has also been transforming the intellectual model of the internet both within and beyond its own borders. Beijing, too, is harnessing the power of the tech revolution.

In the latest episode of The New World, I am joined by Benedict Evans and Iain Martin, Editor of Reaction, to discuss issues.

You can listen to the episode here: