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Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues

November 13, 2025

Platforms Against the State

Event Series: Chinese Politics and Economy Research Seminar Series

Man at the Bund, Shanghai

The administrative capabilities of digital platforms—such as large-scale recruitment, taxation, and mass communication—enable the creation and maintenance of socioeconomic domains that operate beyond state control. In this talk, Isak Ladegaard presents evidence from two distinct cases: the development and distribution of anti-censorship software in China, and a large, commercial far-right platform in the United States. While normatively distinct, these cases share important similarities: both have survived regulatory crackdowns and remain potent forces of social change that complicate late-modern state power.

This event is co-sponsored by the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues and the Department of Government.

Featured 

Isak Ladegaard is a sociologist and criminologist whose research combines qualitative and computational methods. He is the author of Open Secrecy: How Technology Empowers the Digital Underground (2025). Ladegaard holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Boston College, and a B.A. in journalism from the University of Hong Kong. Originally from Oslo, his career has spanned three continents, reflecting both his global perspective and his commitment to studying how technology transforms societies.