By: Abu Bakr Alremeh
Summary
The global race to control individuals, communities, and nations has taken on a new dimension with the emergence of a powerful weapon that influences people’s choices without them even realizing it: the weapon of data and informatics. This paper aims to explore the concept of data as the “new global weapon,” through which the United States exerts its dominance over individuals, groups, and states. It will also examine how this data is collected, its significance, and how it is transformed into real power that controls everyone. Additionally, we will discuss potential solutions to mitigate American hegemony in the realm of data, often referred to as the “new oil.”
The discussion will unfold through the following sections:
Key Sections:
- Introduction
- What Are Data and Why Are They Important?
- Types of Data and Their Uses
- How Is Data Collected?
- How Does the U.S. Benefit from This Dominance?
- Is This Hegemony Ethical?
- What Is the Value of This Data?
- Tools Used to Transform Data Into Power
- Conclusion: What Are the Possible Solutions to Reduce American Hegemony?
Introduction:
In our modern world, the competition among major powers is no longer limited to economic or military dominance. Instead, the current rivalry revolves around what is now referred to as “the new oil”—data. Data, which has become central to nearly every human activity, is considered the most influential resource of the digital age, much like how oil shaped the industrial era. With its control over technological infrastructure and systems that collect and analyze data, the United States has established unparalleled power in steering global dynamics.
To understand this new form of hegemony and the remarkable weapon that governs the world, it is essential to explore the concept of data, its uses, and the methods of analysis that reinforce American influence, granting the U.S. a novel type of dominance.
What Are Data and Why Are They Important?
Data are defined as any information collected about individuals, businesses, organizations, and communities through devices or digital systems. This information, which can take the form of numbers, texts, images, or other formats, has become the cornerstone of power in the 21st century. Data is often referred to as “the new oil” because it is used to understand human behavior, predict trends, and make strategic decisions.
The importance of data lies in its ability to provide deep insights into customer behavior and improve products and services. Behavioral data, for instance, reflects how individuals act in the digital environment—what websites they visit, what products they search for, what videos they watch, and their interests, preferences, and hobbies. Such data is also used to predict future behavior and target individuals with advertisements or specific messaging.
There is also health-related data, which pertains to an individual’s health status and physical activity, such as medical conditions, diseases, and records of doctor visits. Devices like the Apple Watch or other smart health gadgets collect and analyze daily activity to monitor personal health. Some countries use health data to track epidemics or enhance public health policies. Its significance lies in its ability to predict health crises and develop precise solutions, such as controlling pandemics.
Social data, on the other hand, relates to interactions between individuals on digital platforms, including likes, shares, posts, articles, studies, comments, photos, and more. Companies like Meta analyze social relationships to identify societal trends and concerns, enabling predictions about public reactions to specific policies. The importance of this type of data lies in its capacity to gauge public sentiment and influence public opinion.
In the past, data were merely raw information collected through traditional means and used in limited contexts, such as customer records or population statistics. Due to the rudimentary nature of analytical technologies at the time, data did not pose significant risks. However, with the advent of artificial intelligence, it has become possible to collect, store, and analyze vast amounts of big data from billions of people in record time. This transformation has elevated data from a passive resource to an active tool of immense power, capable of shaping economies, societies, and even global politics.
And the matter is no longer limited to data storage, but has evolved to include classification, pattern extraction, and predicting future behaviors with astonishing accuracy. This development has enabled detailed knowledge about individuals, even revealing information that a person might not be aware of about themselves, such as hidden interests or potential decisions, granting these entities unprecedented power to control and influence.
Data has multiple importance; one of them is behavioral analysis, which enables companies and states to understand behavioral patterns. For example, companies like Amazon use purchase data to recommend new products, and governments can track population movements and analyze societal trends.
Another key importance is predicting trends. By analyzing data from social media, it is possible to predict political or social changes. For instance, trends in U.S. elections were evident through the analysis of social media data. Additionally, making strategic decisions is another critical aspect. Governments and American companies use data to guide markets or design public policies. For example, Google provides insights into the most common activities based on search data.
There is also political and economic influence. A country like America uses data to influence global political decisions, and controlling consumption patterns helps dominate the global economy.
Types of data and their uses!
There are several types of data, including personal data, which is information that directly identifies individuals. Examples include names, addresses, ages, hobbies, etc.
As for how this data is used, technology companies like Google and Meta (formerly Facebook) exploit this data to create detailed profiles of users. This data is used to personalize advertisements and services to suit each individual. Platforms like Facebook and YouTube also analyze this data to understand customer preferences and provide tailored content that aligns with personal desires. It also helps monitor activities and analyze general patterns for all customers.
How Are Data Collected?
There are various methods for collecting personal and public data, primarily through major technology companies. For instance, Google collects everything a person searches for, records their location via maps, and understands their interests through YouTube. Meanwhile, Meta (Facebook) identifies your friends, the nature of your interests, and even the news you interact with and prefer to hear.
Data is also collected through applications and services. Shopping, entertainment, and health-related apps store data about user activity. The vast majority of this data passes through American servers! Additionally, the Internet of Things (IoT) plays a significant role; smart devices like watches, and smart home systems such as Alexa and Siri, gather precise data about an individual’s daily life.
Data is not merely numbers or texts; it is a strategic stockpile that grants the United States unparalleled global dominance. Through control over technological systems and data analysis, America tightens its grip on economic, political, and even cultural decisions worldwide. As described today, data is a powerful tool of control that places the United States at the forefront of global leadership, but it also raises questions about privacy and fairness in the use of this “digital weapon.”
Tools of Digital Hegemony (Storage Servers like Oracle, SQL, IBM)
Giant storage servers such as Oracle, SQL, and IBM are not merely technical tools for managing data; they are the fundamental pillars upon which companies and institutions rely to store and analyze vast amounts of information. These servers, which hold data related to billions of people, provide the United States with a significant strategic advantage, as most of these systems and infrastructures are either located in the U.S. or controlled by American companies. Consequently, this extends American hegemony globally, reaching into homes and individuals’ lives!
The role of these servers in collecting and storing data is both substantial and critical. These servers store massive amounts of data, with systems like Oracle, SQL, and IBM being used to store user data from social media applications, hospital records, banking transactions, and even government data. Through major corporations, the United States controls vast data centers containing information related to individual behavior, commercial activities, and even national infrastructure. These servers can analyze data at incredible speeds using artificial intelligence and machine learning. For example, medical records can be analyzed to provide health predictions, and shopping data can be examined to understand market needs.
How Does the U.S. Benefit from This Control?
There are several areas where the United States benefits from its control over data. First and foremost, the dominance of the American economy is heavily reliant on this control. Companies like Oracle, IBM, and SQL generate billions of dollars by providing data storage services to global corporations and institutions. This reinforces the U.S. economy, as hegemony over the database systems market ensures that innovation in this field remains concentrated within the United States.
Additionally, the U.S. leverages its control over global data to influence international decision-making. By monitoring worldwide data flows, the United States can predict the economic and political trends of other nations. This grants it a strategic advantage to either influence the policies of these countries or take preemptive actions to safeguard its interests.
Moreover, data plays a critical role in enhancing U.S. national security. The United States views data as a tool for protecting its national security. By analyzing data stored on its servers, it can track terrorist activities, address external threats, and even influence military strategies.
Why Does the Presence of These Servers in the U.S. Pose a Global Problem?
Most data centers operated by companies like Oracle and IBM are located in the United States, meaning that this data falls under the protection of American laws. This allows the U.S. to access such data under the pretext of national security, even if the data pertains to individuals or companies outside its borders. This grants the U.S. control over the geography of any country in the world, regardless of its distance from American soil.
This situation reflects an inequality in digital sovereignty. Other nations become dependent on American infrastructure to store their data, placing them in a vulnerable position. In the event of political or economic disputes, the United States could use this data as leverage.
Furthermore, these servers enable espionage and surveillance by the U.S. The presence of data in American servers makes it susceptible to spying. For instance, revelations by Edward Snowden about the surveillance operations of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) on individuals and governments highlighted how these tools serve American interests.
Is This Hegemony Ethical?
The exploitation of data as a commodity by American servers transforms data into an economic resource. However, this data is often collected without clear consent from individuals, raising ethical questions about the collection and use of data. The lack of global balance and the American monopoly over data storage infrastructure result in other nations losing their digital sovereignty. Ideally, data should belong to individuals or nations, but it is controlled by American companies. Furthermore, the disregard for individual privacy—given that most data reside on American servers—leaves individuals in other countries vulnerable to privacy violations.
What Is the Benefit of This Data?
The benefits that the United States derives from data extend far beyond traditional economic boundaries, becoming a strategic tool that grants it control over technological, political, and cultural developments on a global scale. The points outlined below provide a comprehensive picture of these advantages:
- Analyzing Individual Behavior by Building Accurate User Profiles:
- Personalized Services and Products:
Major companies like Netflix and Amazon rely on user data analysis to offer precise recommendations that enhance the user experience. For example, Netflix can predict user preferences based on viewing time, preferred genres, and even how often users pause or stop watching.
- Targeted Advertising:
Platforms like Google and Meta (formerly Facebook) use advanced algorithms to analyze user behavior online, enabling them to deliver highly targeted advertisements that increase marketing effectiveness for businesses.
- Predicting Societal Trends and Understanding Communities to Influence Them:
- Big Data Analysis:
By collecting and analyzing data from millions of users on social media platforms, the United States can predict societal changes, such as the rise of protest movements or the emergence of specific political trends.
- Proactive Influence:
For instance, the U.S. government or American companies can use this data to guide discussions or offer preemptive solutions to emerging social issues.
- Controlling the Global Economy, Innovation, and Market Dominance:
- Understanding Consumption Patterns:
American companies are capable of studying global markets and identifying new trends before their competitors, giving them an edge in designing products that align with future needs.
- Targeted Investment
Through the analysis of economic and consumer data, companies and the government can direct investments toward the most profitable sectors.
- Strengthening Financial Hegemony
Platforms like PayPal and Stripe control the flow of digital money, reinforcing U.S. dominance over the global digital economy.
- Political and Diplomatic Influence and Shaping the Future of Global Policies:
- Interference in Elections
As demonstrated during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, data can be exploited to influence voter behavior. This example highlights how technology can be used to sway public opinion, both within the United States and internationally.
- Smart Diplomacy
By leveraging data from other countries, the United States can negotiate more effectively on international issues, armed with deep insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by other parties.
The Tools Used to Transform Data into Power
Data mining is used to extract patterns and knowledge from massive datasets, aiding in strategic decision-making. Machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms learn from available data and improve autonomously to provide accurate insights into behavioral and economic trends. Sentiment analysis is also used to understand public sentiment based on online texts, such as tweets and product reviews.
Computer vision technology allows for the analysis of images and videos to gain deeper insights into user preferences, enhancing control over content and services. These tools grant the United States significant global influence. For example, by predicting crises through the analysis of economic and social data, the U.S. can anticipate recessions or social unrest and develop strategies to address them.
Smart military technology powered by AI-driven data plays a crucial role. The U.S. develops weapons systems that rely on data analysis to identify targets and optimize performance. Culturally, platforms like Spotify and Netflix leverage user data to deliver targeted content, reinforcing American cultural influence globally.
Outcomes and Future Challenges
The U.S.’s use of data is not merely an economic strategy but a tool for controlling global dynamics. However, this dominance raises serious challenges:
- Unequal distribution of benefits: Data collected globally is used to enhance the power of American companies and the government, while other nations remain passive recipients of influence without achieving balanced gains.
- Privacy concerns: The extensive use of data jeopardizes individual privacy, necessitating legal and regulatory reviews to protect digital rights.
- Geopolitical tensions: American data hegemony raises concerns among competing nations, potentially escalating global tensions.
Through its dominance of data, the U.S. can influence the world using these tools and systems. America does not merely collect data; it transforms it into knowledge that grants control over the globe. For instance:
– Crisis prediction: The U.S. can predict crises such as economic recessions or social unrest by analyzing economic and social data.
– Military technology development: By leveraging AI-driven data, the U.S. develops smart weapons that rely on data analysis to identify targets with precision.
– Cultural influence: American companies like Netflix and Spotify use user data to create content tailored to the preferences of different populations, strengthening American cultural influence.
This means that U.S. dominance over data reflects a radical shift in the global balance of power, where data has become the most critical resource of the digital age. The impact of data extends beyond economics to encompass politics, security, and culture, making it a strategic tool for control and influence. As data scientist Clive Humby famously said, “Data is the new oil,” but it possesses characteristics that make it even more impactful: it is limitless, continuously extractable, versatile (used to improve AI, target advertisements, shape policies, and even influence elections), and reusable without depletion.
This reality reinforces U.S. dominance, thanks to major tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Apple, which collect vast amounts of global data and use it to develop advanced technologies.
Ethical Challenges Posed by This Hegemony
This dominance raises significant ethical concerns:
– Privacy violations: Data is sometimes collected without individuals’ knowledge or consent.
– Data breaches and exploitation: Issues arise when data is leaked or exploited for targeted advertising.
– Lack of transparency: Major companies rarely clarify how data is used or to whom it is sold, raising concerns about surveillance and control.
– Global inequality: Developing countries often serve as sources of data without fully benefiting from its use, widening the gap between rich and poor nations.
Similarly, the risks of American hegemony are also evident in the growing reliance on American technology in various fields, such as cloud services, artificial intelligence, and digital infrastructure, making the world more interconnected and perhaps more dependent on the United States. This dependency grants America immense power to influence the economies and policies of other nations, in addition to reinforcing monopolies that limit innovation and competitiveness in other countries.
To counter this hegemony, the world needs to strengthen digital sovereignty by developing independent infrastructures to protect national data, establishing laws for data governance and control over its flow across borders, and fostering international cooperation to create alliances for regulating data collection and usage, as the European Union did with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Additionally, local innovation should be encouraged by supporting emerging tech companies to reduce reliance on American technology, alongside increasing education and awareness among individuals about how to protect their data and digital rights.
In the future, with the advancement of artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technologies, the importance of data as a tool for control and influence will only grow. If clear steps are not taken to protect the digital sovereignty of nations and communities, global dependence on the United States may increase, potentially leading to new economic and geopolitical conflicts. Thus, American dominance over data is not merely an economic issue but a global challenge that requires a coordinated response to ensure balance in the digital world.
Conclusion:
What Are the Possible Solutions to Reduce American Hegemony?
Several proposals exist to reduce American dominance over the world in the field of data. These include:
– Establishing Local Data Centers: Countries should invest in creating national data centers to reduce reliance on American servers.
– International Legislation: Developing international laws to regulate how data is collected and stored, ensuring it remains under the sovereignty of the relevant nations.
– Regional Cooperation: Countries like those in the European Union have begun moving toward creating independent digital infrastructure through initiatives such as Gaia-X, a European project aimed at building a shared, open digital infrastructure based on European standards to enhance digital sovereignty in Europe.
Storage servers like Oracle, SQL, and IBM represent a backbone of American digital hegemony. The presence of most data in the United States grants it significant strategic, economic, and political power but raises ethical questions about privacy and sovereignty. To achieve global balance, other nations must develop their digital infrastructure and adopt clear policies for data regulation.
Sources and References:
– A book that explores how major companies, such as Google and Facebook, exploit personal data to generate enormous profits, raising issues about privacy and information control.
- Shoshana Zuboff (2019): The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
– The book reviews the ethical and practical risks of large computational models used in decision-making, such as hiring, education, and criminal justice.
- Cathy O’Neil (2016): Weapons of Math Destruction
– A report discussing how the data economy impacts the global economy by analyzing new business models that rely on data as a primary resource.
- MIT Technology Review: The Data Economy and Its Global Impact
– An article explaining how companies use big data to predict customer behavior and improve business operations.
- Harvard Business Review: How Companies Are Using Data to Predict Behavior
– Leaked documents revealing government surveillance programs and how personal data is exploited without individuals’ knowledge.
- Edward Snowden Leaks (2013): The “PRISM” program of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA)
– An article discussing global data control and the entities that hold the largest amounts of information.
- The Economist: Who Owns the World’s Data
– An analysis of the ethical dimensions of data usage in the age of Big Tech, including issues of transparency and accountability.
- Financial Times: The Ethics of Data Use in the Age of Big Tech
– Reports examining security challenges and data control amid the dominance of major cloud companies like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.
- Cloud Security Alliance (CSA): Reports on cloud market dominance.
– An initiative aimed at creating a European digital infrastructure to ensure data sovereignty and independence from American and Chinese dominance.
- Gaia-X Project: European Initiative for Digital Sovereignty
– Regulations enacted by the European Union to protect privacy, imposing strict standards on companies for data collection and usage.
- European Union (2018): GDPR Data Protection Regulations