Romer, one of the initial proponents of ZEDEs in Honduras, expressed criticism in 2015 regarding the Honduran ZEDEs and their lack of accountability to local laws, and anti-democratic governance. ZEDEs are a tech billionaire’s dream: unbridled power, tech fantasy, and resource hoarding, where the government is run by AI and cryptocurrency is the main currency. Thiel’s Palantir is one of the main providers of advanced AI targeting software and hardware to Israeli forces; the technology is used to target, surveil, and murder Palestinians. From the U.S. to Honduras, tech billionaires are waging a war on people of color. Tech billionaires are not the future.

Source: The Guardian February 18, 2026 17:04 UTC