Technofeudalism is a modern economic system where big technology companies have power similar to feudal lords in the past. Instead of land, these companies control digital platforms, data, and online markets. People and smaller businesses rely on these platforms, just like peasants once relied on feudal lords for land and protection.
As a subject technofeudalism sits at the intersection of two subject areas, Information technology and Economics, and the concept has cropped up independently within both disciplines.
In Information Technology area Bruce Schneier wrote an article in November 2012 entitled "When It Comes to Security, We're Back to Feudalism"[1], which was published in Wired Magazine, another in December 2012 entitled "Feudal Security"[2], and another "You Have No Control Over Security on the Feudal Internet"[3] for Harvard Business Review in June 2013. Since then the term has entered the vocabulary of sites such as Slashdot.
