Mains Syllabus: GS III - Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
Recently, the removal of purchased contents from digital libraries across various digtal platforms like sony, google books stirred debates on technofuedalism.
First sale doctrine is a legal standard that accords one the right to resell or gift physical items.
Comparison: Feudalism vs. Technofeudalism |
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Aspect |
Medieval Feudalism |
Technofeudalism |
Resource Controlled |
Land |
Digital platforms, data, cloud |
Ruling Class |
Nobles, lords |
Tech company owners, platform operators |
Subjects |
Serfs, peasants |
Users, consumers, digital workers |
Value Extraction |
Agricultural labour, taxes |
Data, attention, digital rents |
Power Structure |
Hereditary, local |
Corporate, global |
Autonomy |
Limited by lord’s rules |
Limited by platform algorithms/rules |
In traditional capitalism, ownership and control were distributed among entrepreneurs, shareholders, and business owners.
Several Big Tech companies, including Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet, have market capitalizations exceeding the GDP of many countries.