The Colonial Period spanned from the 16th Century to the period after World War II. It is often romanticized as a period of exploration and adventure when merchant ships laden with the spoils of exotic lands returned to European ports. However, the reality of colonialism was the exploitation, enslavement, and genocide of indigenous people, and the industrialization of global human trafficking.

The abuse and degradation that indigenous people suffered under colonialism and imperialism resulted in devastating consequences that persist to the present day. The real damage done is too great to simply be used as an analogy, but the pattern, ideology, mentality and operating practices of colonialism persist today across the globe… and in our industries.

Colonialism is now seen by many as a discredited form of rule, but technology companies today are increasingly colonial in their actions. This can be seen in the veneer of sovereignty they seek to cultivate, how they work across borders, their use of dominant culture as a weapon, and the clear belief that “superior” technology is a suitable excuse for lawlessness, exploitation and even violence.

Sovereignty

Photo CC-BY Patrick Nouhailler, filtered.

Technology companies are increasingly being treated like sovereign nations. A nation with sovereignty has a right to conduct its internal affairs without interference from other nations. A nation’s sovereignty is recognized when the borders, people, and central government of that nation are recognized by other nations, and one of the traits of a sovereign nation is the ability to have diplomatic relations with other sovereign nations.