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

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.

Jun 5, 2026

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4 min read

Platformocracy is one year old! Here’s what’s coming next (including song lyrics and maybe some code)

First, like any enthusiastic one-year-old, I’m gonna smash a big piece of cake into my face with my bare hands. Then, I’m going to try some new things, including attempting to write code that demonstrates my ideas.

May 29, 2026

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5 min read

Practical exit part 2: groups and identity (again)

Last week I proposed regulation to make it easier for you to bring your friends and followers with you from one social platform to another. This week, I look at two use cases with more complexity.