[profalseidol]

Historically, whenever there's advancement in technology. Powers that control the current will get challenged, and so far, it has been for the better for the majority.

We've gone a long way from being serfs who have almost no rights, even the right to read and write.. to citizens who can communicate via the internet.

Advancement in technology will/have make current powers obsolete. Robots and algorithms have been taking more work since the stone age.

Better tools, means more surplus, means more time to think critically, more time to comment over the internet, or read books.

The only problem is that we probably won't see any observable improvement in one lifetime. It is however, also very possible that the incumbent powers put an end to our civilization. Hopefully enough people like these Google employees, Snowden, Assange will be there to stop fascism.

[kiliantics]

I think technology has allowed power to become more and more concentrated. Never before has one state had the power to annihilate entire cities, or land entire armies worth of troops at any point on earth within 24 hours. Never before have large and powerful organisations and governments had the capability to read every word that every person sends to each other and track their every motion around the city with cameras.

Yes there is more surplus, but where is that going? People in developed societies are working more hours now than they were 100 years ago. Wealth inequality has risen to higher levels than ever existed in modern society. I wish it gave me more time to read books...

We definitely need to be more engaged in resisting these dangerous tendencies, particularly with recent political developments. I think organised tech workers have immense power. If Google employees could formalise their current actions and then even unite with other groups across other companies, they would be a force to be reckoned with.