A weekly newsletter that tells the story of how tech companies became unelected governments and what to do about it, by former Google executive and 30-year Internet veteran Jonathan Bellack.

Posts

Jul 17, 2026

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6 min read

Explainer #8: what connects the creator economy, Spider-Man, and the English Civil War?

In the 1600s, Parliament fought for democracy against the divine right of kings. The most radical rebels of the time have lessons for today’s online creators, via the founding of Image Comics in 1992.

Jul 10, 2026

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5 min read

Palantir's Alex Karp goes full Galaxy Brain, and the US Supreme Court gets something right for once

I am back from vacation and ready to take gratuitous potshots at Palantir CEO Alex Karp’s 20-minute free-associating rant on CNBC. Plus, a big win for online rights at the US Supreme Court (which I previewed back in March)!

Jun 26, 2026

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3 min read

News round-up: lawsuits, social media bans, and a curious launch from Google

Sarah Wynn-Williams strikes back at Meta, Google blurs the line between Search and YouTube, and the child safety wars continue to rage across the globe.

Jun 19, 2026

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5 min read

Explainer #7: Trust & Safety with Chinese Characteristics

To learn more about due process, I read a book comparing great legal traditions. I found that modern trust and safety practices have more in common with Chinese dynasties than Western democracy. Yikes.

Jun 12, 2026

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7 min read

The Platformocracy: what is it, why is it bad, and how do we fix it?

Internet platforms have become our unelected governments. They should be subject to the laws of the communities they serve, not the will of their owners. Summarizing my first year of posts.