If You’re in Tech, You’re in Politics Too. Do You Own That Responsibility?
There’s Political Innovation at It’s Extreme…
Not too many know this, but in 2015 a new country was founded. It is called Liberland and it is a micronation located right between Serbia and Croatia. The founder and president of the country, Vít Jedlička, found unclaimed land using Google maps and simply went there to claim it. The idea of the country is to experiment and find the optimal way to run a country by combining the best of different ideologies, tech solutions, and corporate governance. As the name implies, the core values of the country are liberalism and respect for individual rights, opinions, and private property. Their motto is “To Live and Let Live”. Sound surreal? Within a week they received 200 000 applications for citizenship from all around the world, so there is no doubt interest in it.
In Liberland, taxes are voluntary. The more taxes you pay, the more shares in the country you get. The governmental system is built on blockchain and therefore all voting, company registration, and passports are all based on blockchain technology — without risking the privacy of its citizens. This is political innovation at its extreme, made possible by a population who shares the same values and beliefs. Liberland intentionally brings technology into the political system hoping to drive political development forward.
…and Then There’s Innovations With Extreme Political Consequences.
Whilst Liberland is an extreme example of political innovation at a very small scale, we see these trends happening all around the world unintentionally on a much larger scale. Facebook is the most well-known example. Although Facebook was founded on liberal beliefs with a mission to connect people from all around the world, its platform has massively impacted today’s political landscape. Nobody knew the tremendous impact on politics and society it would end up having. Cambridge Analytica is just one example. Unlike Liberland, the political implications of the platform were not intended. This makes Facebook one of the largest political studies we’ve seen in modern history.
What Role Are You Playing?
Whether it is a small but purposeful political innovation experiment like Liberland, a global platform like Facebook or other inventions such as cryptocurrencies, technology is having an important impact on the political landscape.
Regardless if we like it or not, we must acknowledge the impact that the evolution of different technologies is having on the political landscape. So if you are in the tech industry, be careful, because you may also be in politics.
Liberland knows this. So do also founders of for example cryptocurrencies who intentionally disrupt and democratise banking. If you are part of shaping the politics of tomorrow, isn’t it better to be aware of what you’re doing, rather than realise it in hindsight?
Technology is the superpower of today. With great power comes great responsibilities.
How do we make sure we respect that responsibility?
