The political, economic, and social power of many Big Tech firms, along with their vast userbases, has often been compared to nation-states. While existing analyses of digital authoritarianism largely emphasise state surveillance and citizen resistance, this commentary shifts the focus to the private sector. It introduces the concept of Big Tech authoritarianism to examine how technology companies enable, enforce, and envision authoritarianism. It explores their collaborations with authoritarian regimes, role in amplifying dis/misinformation, monopolisation of markets under the guise of democratisation, replacement of civic participation with corporate-led initiatives, and internal authoritarian management practices. By highlighting the ideological visions of Silicon Valley elites, the text reveals how Big Tech actively constructs authoritarian spaces – both within their organisational structures and across broader socio-political contexts.
Azadeh Akbari (Mon,) studied this question.