The Information War Has Begun—Are You Ready to Resist?
By Steve Thomas-Patel
Developer
Today, we are ruled by monopolistic behemoths—Google, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, and their ilk. These platforms are not just tools; they are the infrastructure of digital life, shaping what we see, hear, and even think.
The necessity of building alternative networks has never been more urgent.
The Pervasive Power of Google
Among these, Google is by far the most dangerous. It does not merely dominate an industry—it is the industry. An entire field, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), revolves around deciphering and appeasing Google’s opaque algorithms. Many SEO professionals will openly admit that they don’t truly work for their clients or their employers; they work for Google. The company dictates visibility, discoverability, and, by extension, survival on the internet.
This makes Google’s ideological and political alignment all the more consequential. When Google’s CEO, the same man responsible for scrubbing “Don’t Be Evil” from the company’s moral code, stood next to Trump at his inauguration, it was a signal. That signal was followed by an almost theatrical display of allegiance—changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico, a designation recognized for 500 years, to the jingoistic and revisionist “Gulf of America” within Google’s services.
But Google’s influence extends beyond mere symbolism. It is the backbone of the internet, controlling the flow of information at a scale that no government or institution in history has ever matched. Some argue that social media has eroded its relevance as the primary gatekeeper of knowledge, but this is an illusion. YouTube, also owned by Google, is the second-largest search engine in the world. Many people don’t realize how frequently they interact with Google because its presence is so ubiquitous. It powers the ads they see, the emails they send, the documents they share, and the searches they conduct multiple times a day.
Beyond search, Google’s AdSense network is an inescapable force in online advertising. Even when websites use other ad providers, Google’s ads often serve as the fallback. This ensures that, whether directly or indirectly, Google remains the financial lifeline of countless media organizations—granting it an extraordinary ability to silence dissent with demonetization or algorithmic suppression.
The Threat of Media Capture
While Google is the hardest network to escape, it is not the only one exerting an iron grip on digital discourse. Spotify, for instance, has aggressively positioned itself as the gatekeeper of podcasting. Once an open and decentralized medium, podcasting is increasingly being centralized under corporate control.
Spotify’s most infamous acquisition was The Joe Rogan Experience, a podcast that has repeatedly amplified far-right narratives and conspiracy theories. But it would be a mistake to view this as a simple case of ideological bias. Spotify’s acquisitions extend across the political spectrum, from MeidasTouch—a progressive podcast that recently outperformed Rogan—to Science Vs., a science-based fact-checking show. Their goal isn’t necessarily ideological alignment but control. When a corporation holds the exclusive rights to both far-right and center-left voices, it dictates the boundaries of mainstream discourse.
And while Spotify’s $150,000 donation to Trump’s inauguration may seem modest in the grand scheme of political finance, it remains a strikingly bold move for a media company, reflecting a broader willingness to engage with authoritarian power structures.
Why Alternative Networks Are Essential
The consolidation of media, search, and communication under a handful of corporations makes it imperative to build independent, alternative networks. Without them, dissenting voices are at the mercy of an ecosystem that can:
Suppress stories that challenge the powerful
Drown out opposition narratives with algorithmic bias
Demonetize and deplatform critics without recourse
Manipulate historical records to serve political agendas
Enforce compliance through digital censorship and “soft” suppression (e.g., spam filters, buried search results, shadow bans)
If we allow this consolidation to continue unchecked, how will we counter the narratives pushed by the political elite? How will people hear about suppressed stories when mainstream media either ignores them or uncritically parrots government talking points? How do we push back when political opponents are systematically smeared—branded as ugly, messy, evil, or stupid—without an independent platform to challenge those attacks?
What happens when Fox News, Newsmax, and OANN become the only visible voices? When social media platforms suppress counter-narratives? When Google buries critical websites beyond page ten? When even email newsletters—one of the last refuges of direct communication—are quietly filtered as spam?
The solution is clear: we need alternative networks insulated from corporate and governmental interference.
The Role of Anonymity and Its Challenges
Unfortunately, maintaining an independent network will require anonymity. The risks of operating in the open are too great.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has already sounded the alarm on an emerging censorship tactic: fraudulent copyright takedowns. The strategy is simple but devastatingly effective:
A malicious actor creates a copy of an article they want to suppress
They backdate their copy to make it appear older than the original
They file a copyright claim against the actual author
If the author fights back, they face legal costs, delays, and potential financial ruin
Even when the original author is in the right, they may lose the battle simply because the platform’s moderators are indifferent or incompetent. The burden of proof often rests on the accused, and merely defending against these attacks can be ruinously expensive. This is why anonymity becomes necessary—it is not a matter of preference but survival.
Yet anonymity comes at a price. It can undermine credibility and weaken accuracy. Without verifiable identities, misinformation and disinformation flourish. The opposition’s legitimacy can be eroded through a thousand small cuts—disrupting access, sowing doubt, and enforcing isolation.
But this is precisely the point. Authoritarian power doesn’t need to outlaw dissent outright. It merely needs to make it difficult, expensive, and exhausting.
Practical Steps to Resist Corporate Media Capture
Build and Use Decentralized Platforms:
- Support platforms like Bluesky, Mastodon, Matrix, or PeerTube. These decentralized alternatives to social media and video hosting ensure that no single entity has control over communication channels.
Prioritize Independent Search Engines and Services:
Use search engines like DuckDuckGo or Brave Search that prioritize privacy and aren’t beholden to Google’s algorithms.
Replace Gmail with encrypted email services like ProtonMail or Tutanota.
Diversify Your Information Sources:
Avoid relying solely on mainstream media for news. Instead, follow independent journalists, podcasts, and alternative media networks. Look to foreign news such as BBC and CBC.
Use RSS feeds to curate a balanced mix of perspectives.
Support Alternative Economic Models:
Subscribe directly to content creators rather than using platforms like YouTube or Spotify for podcasts and video content.
Embrace services like Patreon or direct payment methods to ensure creators are insulated from corporate deplatforming.
Advocate for your favorite content producers. Tell people what podcasts and independent news sources you believe in.
Enhance Digital Privacy:
Use VPNs, privacy-oriented browsers, and encrypted messaging apps like Signal to protect your communication and browsing habits.
Limit the amount of data collected by big tech companies by disabling tracking and using privacy-respecting browser extensions.
Build Local and Offline Networks:
* Establish local groups for mutual support, information sharing, and organizing resistance to digital censorship.
* Create physical publications, zines, or radio broadcasts to distribute information beyond digital platforms.
- Educate Yourself and Others:
* Understand how algorithms, demonetization, and deplatforming work—and share that knowledge.
* Teach digital literacy skills to help people critically evaluate online content and recognize manipulation tactics.
- Invest in Independent Infrastructure:
* Set up self-hosted solutions for websites, email, and file storage.
* Encourage community projects that offer decentralized alternatives for critical services (e.g., local mesh networks).
Conclusion
We are at a crossroads. The internet was once a place of free expression, a chaotic but open ecosystem where ideas could flourish beyond the control of centralized institutions. That era is ending. What was once a network of networks is rapidly becoming a corporate fiefdom, governed by a handful of unelected tech oligarchs who decide what is seen, what is heard, and what is erased.
Alternative networks are not a luxury. They are a necessity.
The fight for independent infrastructure—whether through decentralized platforms, encrypted communications, or even low-tech solutions like print and radio—is the fight for the survival of truth itself.
Because if we do not build these networks now, we may soon find ourselves with no voice left to speak.