The etymology of the word implies rule by a demos (demos / kratos), a demarcated ingroup of people such as the citizenry of a country. And yet, so many of these

The etymology of the word implies rule by a demos (demos / kratos), a demarcated ingroup of people such as the citizenry of a country. And yet, so many of these 'democratising' technical endeavours keep control of the project strictly behind lock and key. There's nothing democratic about it - they just want popularity. Is 'popularise' an undesirable word now? I wonder why the euphemism treadmill has had to advance in this way.