On closer inspection, however, such initiatives are problematic not so much because they are uniquely antidemocratic (the West has its own crises of civil rights) but because they perfectly illustrate where datafication might eventually be headed everywhere. In the name of safety and security, other governments will find it easier to claim they must not be left at a disadvantage and will escalate the initiatives already in place (in fact, these governments might find it appealing to import ready-made systems of surveillance along with telecom infrastructure, as some African countries are doing from China). Ultimately, the close collaboration between a government that grants economic and legal advantages to tech companies75 and companies that help the government conduct its surveillance is a global feature of data colonialism, not one restricted to China, Russia, or the United States.

Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, loc. 212