The 334th Block: Corporate colonialism and language control
This week…
Your reading time is about 5 minutes. Let’s start.
I shared that I was reading Philip J. Stern’s book Empire, Incorporated last week. I have finished the book, but I would still like to draw attention to the message of the book, which was about how how corporations build colonialism. Coincidently, but separately, Munira Mustaffa, on the National Integrity and Security panel at the 8th World Conference on Islamic Thought and Civilisation, shared a similar message, stating, “We must not forget our own history. This country was not first colonised by a state but by a company. The crown followed only later.” They may not be the East India Company, but they are Big Tech companies operating under a similar way, while the masses stay complacent. I encourage you to listen to the entire speech.
Your Wikipedia this week: Commercial revolution
And now, a selection of top stories on my radar, a few personal recommendations, and the chart of the week.
ICYMI: The Previous Block was about Network school and tech reporting.
CORRECTION NOTICE: None notified.EMPIRE, INCORPORATED
Fed up with Big Tech, communities turn to data collectives for control
Rina Chandran for Rest of World:
A growing pushback against big tech companies, and greater awareness of the value of data, is spurring interest in data collectives and cooperatives, which give communities control over the collection, management, and distribution of their data. This alternative allows creators to benefit from data sets that may otherwise be ignored or misused.
A handful of tech companies dominate the generative artificial intelligence industry, with American and Chinese frontier models controlling the lion’s share of the market. Some countries are building their own large language models because their language and culture are not adequately represented in GPT, Gemini, Claude, or Qwen.
Loosely linked:
The hidden cost of Myanmar’s rare earth mines by Emily Fishbein and Jauman Naw for Rest of World.
Malaysia revokes licence of U.S. investor Balaji Srinivasan’s Network School, official says by Ashley Tang and Rozanna Latiff for Reuters.
Two men banned from Indonesia over allegations of hosting discriminatory run club by Tim Swanston and Ake Prihantari for ABC News.
Italian embassy, teen apologise after viral Bangkok train dispute by AFP via France 24.
An itinerant journalist examines the hidden harms of digital nomadism by Rob Scernyik for Corporate Knights.
Cómo 8 redacciones expusieron las campañas de desinformación digital contra defensores ambientales por César López Linares en LJR.
Le premier pas de l’extrême droite, c’est de normaliser des mots extrêmes par Gilles Gressani dans Le Grand Continent.
What I read, listen, and watch
I’m reading The Opium Queen: The Untold Story of the Rebel Who Ruled the Golden Triangle (2023) by Gabrielle Paluch. Honestly, I just picked this up and only less than 10 per cent in, but it’s about Olive Yang.
I’m watching Storied’s video on the people trying to control language.
I’m listening to Click Here podcast on the surveillance trap.
Chart of the week
The typical (median) Polymarket user placed a total of 46 trades across 10 active trading days during Pew Research Center’s study period between May 7 and June 19, 2026. Sports traders tend to be more active than traders who focus on other topics.