Virtual cartels, oligopolistic structures Global networks require global technical standards ensuring the compatibility of systems. Being able to define such standards makes a corporation extremely powerful. And it requires the suspension of competitive practices. Competition is relegated to the symbolic realm. Diversity and pluralism become the victims of the globalisation of baroque sameness. The ICT market is dominated by incomplete competition aimed at short-term market domination. In a very short time, new ideas can turn into best-selling technologies. Innovation cycles are extremely short. But today's state-of-the-art products are embryonic trash. According to the Computer and Communications Industry Association, Microsoft is trying to aggressively take over the network market. This would mean that AT&T would control 70 % of all long distance phone calls and 60 % of cable connections. AOL and Yahoo are lone leaders in the provider market. AOL has 21 million subscribers in 100 countries. In a single month, AOL registers 94 million visits. Two thirds of all US internet users visited Yahoo in December 1999. The world's 13 biggest internet providers are all American. AOL and Microsoft have concluded a strategic cross-promotion deal. In the US, the AOL icon is installed on every Windows desktop. AOL has also concluded a strategic alliance with Coca Cola.

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Global hubs of the data body industry While most data bunkers are restricted to particular areas or contexts, there are others which act as global data nodes. Companies such as EDS (Electronic Data Systems), Experian, First Data Corporation and Equifax operate globally and run giant databases containing personal information. They are the global hubs of the data body economy. Company Sales in USD billions Size of client database in million datasets Equifax 1,7 360 Experian 1,5 779 Fist Data Corporation 5,5 260 EDS 18,5 (not disclosed) (Sales and database sizes, 1998) The size of these data repositories is constantly growing, so it is only a matter of time when everybody living in the technologically saturated part of the world will be registered in one of these data bunkers. Among these companies, EDS, founded by the former US presidential candidate Ross Perot, known for his right-wing views and direct language, is of particular importance. Not only is it the world's largest data body company, it is also secretive about the size of its client database - a figure disclosed by the other companies either in company publications or upon enquiry. After all, the size of such a data base makes a company more attractive for potential customers. For many years, EDS has been surrounded by rumours concerning sinister involvement with intelligence agencies. Beyond the rumours, though, there are also facts. EDS has a special division for government services. EDS does business with all military agencies of the US, as well as law enforcement agencies, justice agencies, and many others. The company also maintains a separate division for military equipment In 1984, the company became a subsidiary of General Motors, itself a leading manufacturer of military and intelligence systems. EDS is listed by the Federation of American Scientist's intelligence resource program as contractor to US intelligence agencies, and prides itself, amongst other things, to respond to the "rise of the citizen as a consumer".

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Timeline BC ~ 1900 BC: Egyptian writers use non-standard Hieroglyphs in inscriptions of a royal tomb; supposedly this is not the first but the first documented example of written cryptography 1500 an enciphered formula for the production of pottery is done in Mesopotamia parts of the Hebrew writing of Jeremiah's words are written down in "atbash", which is nothing else than a reverse alphabet and one of the first famous methods of enciphering 4th century Aeneas Tacticus invents a form of beacons, by introducing a sort of water-clock 487 the Spartans introduce the so called "skytale" for sending short secret messages to and from the battle field 170 Polybius develops a system to convert letters into numerical characters, an invention called the Polybius Chequerboard. 50-60 Julius Caesar develops an enciphering method, later called the Caesar Cipher, shifting each letter of the alphabet an amount which is fixed before. Like atbash this is a monoalphabetic substitution.

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Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian Augustus (63 BC - 14 AD) was adopted by Julius Caesar and became the first Roman Emperor. While he was very successful in military affairs abroad, he tried to bring back law and order to the Roman population. He was most interested in arts and philosophy.

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Xerxes Xerxes (~519-465 BC) was Persian King from 485-465 BC. He led his Army against the Greek but finally was defeated. He was the father of Alexander the Great.

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Louis XIV. Louis XIV. (1643-1715) became King of France when he was still a young boy. He centralized all the state's power to the crown and created a state of absolutism. In this respect Louis' most famous sentence was: L'état c'est moi. (= The state am I). During his reign the most talented and respectable men in art as well as in philosophy and policy worked for the monarchy. His favor for luxury and the steady wars with other European empires ruined the state morally and financially, but for the history he is still called Roi Soleil (King of the Sun).

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