Schneier compares the modern internet to feudal Europe, a half-wild place plagued by roving gangs of bandits who prey upon hardworking peasants. The peasants are all but defenseless on their own, but they can still protect themselves by allying themselves with a feudal warlord and moving into his fortress. That fortress—Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, Meta’s Facebook or Microsoft’s Exchange—is protected by high walls and frowning battlements and an army of skilled mercenaries who patrol them—these being the security experts on Big Tech’s payrolls. In exchange for our loyalty—and a share of the
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