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

Apr 10, 2026

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8 min read

News Round-Up: Bluesky, the Meta Oversight Board, Debanking, and A Horse

After a week off, I return with my first news round-up. This is something new for me, so please let me know if you find this useful.

Mar 27, 2026

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8 min read

How is your Instagram account like a hotel room?

Data in our online accounts should be protected from unreasonable search and seizure just like luggage in a hotel room, according to a new US Supreme Court amicus brief from Harvard’s Cyberlaw Clinic and an old Google colleague. This could be extended to expand ownership and data portability rights.

Mar 20, 2026

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8 min read

New data shows platforms use terms of service to subvert the rule of law

My rants about online due process are not purely theoretical. Data from the ASML Transparency Hub, compiled by students at Boston University, show that platforms are quietly cutting you off from your country’s justice system and forcing you to accept theirs.

Mar 13, 2026

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8 min read

My turn at the Peter Thiel dunk tank: the nihilism of inventing our way backward

Seventeen years ago, billionaire Peter Thiel declared that freedom and democracy are incompatible. That’s the kind of defeatism that gets me riled up. Democracy needs innovation, not despair.

Mar 6, 2026

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9 min read

Explainer #6: How population growth forced democracy to evolve

Democracies worldwide are struggling with the scale and velocity of the modern world, and online platforms are bigger than most countries. Looking at history shows that the size of a community changes democracy, but doesn't mean we need to abandon it.