Pdf Introduction Sovereignty 2 0 Researchgate

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 28, 2025, 1:04 PM

pdf introduction sovereignty 2 0 researchgate

This chapter builds upon the evolving concept of sovereignty in the digital age, introducing the idea of Sovereignty 2.0—a paradigm shift where state power is increasingly defined by infrastructural and technological capabilities rather than... In the technopolar world, sovereignty encompasses the ability to regulate data, control algorithms, and secure hardware infrastructure. The chapter focuses on data sovereignty as the first critical pillar of this transformation, exploring how states seek to reclaim control over information flows by asserting legal jurisdiction over data generated within their borders. Case studies from the EU, China, India, and Brazil illustrate diverse strategies, from regulatory frameworks like the GDPR and China’s strict localization mandates to emerging cloud infrastructure initiatives. The rationale for data sovereignty includes national security, privacy, economic development, and resistance to digital dependency. Yet, the chapter also highlights tensions: heavy-handed localization may fragment the internet, raise costs, and undermine global interoperability.

Moreover, foreign surveillance, corporate dominance, and technological asymmetries continue to threaten genuine sovereignty. As states navigate this complex terrain, they must balance openness with autonomy and security with freedom. This chapter sets the foundation for exploring algorithmic sovereignty in the next section, where data’s strategic value becomes most apparent through its role in AI governance. This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access. Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout Abagun, T.

(2025, April 8). Data Sovereignty in Africa: A Crucial Conversation. ITWeb. Retrieved May 5, 2025, from https://www.itweb.co.za/article/data-sovereignty-in-africa-a-crucial-conversation/mYZRXv9gZLRMOgA8 Africa Practice. (2025).

Africa: Tech Policy Trends to Watch in 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025, from https://africapractice.com/insights/africa-tech-policy-trends-to-watch-in-2025/ Anupam Chander, Georgetown University Law CenterFollow Haochen Sun, University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law Digital sovereignty—the exercise of control over the internet—is the ambition of the world’s leaders, from Australia to Zimbabwe, a bulwark against both foreign state and foreign corporation. Governments have resoundingly answered first-generation internet law questions of who if anyone should regulate the internet—they all will. We now confront second generation questions—not whether, but how to regulate the internet.

We argue that digital sovereignty is simultaneously a necessary incident of democratic governance and democracy’s dreaded antagonist. As international law scholar Louis Henkin taught us, sovereignty can insulate a government’s worst ills from foreign intrusion. Assertions of digital sovereignty, in particular, are often double-edged—useful both to protect citizens and to control them. Digital sovereignty can magnify the government’s powers by making legible behaviors that were previously invisible to the state. Thus, the same rule can be used to safeguard or repress--a feature that legislators across the Global North and South should anticipate by careful checks and balances. Chander, Anupam and Sun, Haochen, "Sovereignty 2.0" (2021).

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works. 2404. https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/2404 Computer Law Commons, Intellectual Property Law Commons, International Law Commons Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement Co-authors: Haochen Sun & Anupam Chander

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works. 2404. University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law Research Paper No. 2021/041. Abstract: Digital sovereignty—the exercise of control over the internet—is the ambition of the world’s leaders, from Australia to Zimbabwe, a bulwark against both foreign state and foreign corporation. Governments have resoundingly answered first-generation internet law questions of who if anyone should regulate the internet—they all will.

We now confront second generation questions—not whether, but how to regulate the internet. We argue that digital sovereignty is simultaneously a necessary incident of democratic governance and democracy’s dreaded antagonist. As international law scholar Louis Henkin taught us, sovereignty can insulate a government’s worst ills from foreign intrusion. Assertions of digital sovereignty, in particular, are often double-edged—useful both to protect citizens and to control them. Digital sovereignty can magnify the government’s powers by making legible behaviors that were previously invisible to the state. Thus, the same rule can be used to safeguard or repress–a feature that legislators across the Global North and South should anticipate by careful checks and balances.

Available at SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3904949. Table of Contents I. Introduction 284 II. From Hobbes to Zuckerberg: The Rise of Digital Sovereignty 290 A. Defining "Digital Sovereignty" 291 B. China: Inventing Digital Sovereignty 293 C.

The EU: Embracing Digital Sovereignty 298 D. Russia: Promoting the Runet 300 E. The United States: Digital Sovereignty by Default 301 F. The Global South: Avoiding Data Colonialism 303 III. How Digital Sovereignty Is Different 305 A. Always Global 306 B.

Against Corporations 307 C. More Control 308 D. Enables Protectionism 309 IV. The Double-Edged Sword of Digital Sovereignty 311 A. Speech 312 1. NetzDG (Germany) 312 2.

Eva Glawischnig-Piesczek v Facebook Ireland Limited (European Union) 314 B. Privacy 315 1. Justice Reform Act (France) 315 2. Data Protection/Didi (China) 316 C. National Security 317 1. TikTok Ban (United States) 317 2.

NSO Spyware for Hire (Israel) 320 V. Conclusion 323 I. INTRODUCTION The internet was supposed to end sovereignty. "Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, you have no sovereignty where we gather," John Perry Barlow famously declared. (1) Sovereignty would prove impossible over a world of bits, with the internet simply routing around futile controls.

(2) But reports of the death of sovereignty over the internet proved premature. Consider recent events: * In late 2020, on the eve of what was to be the world's biggest initial public offering (IPO) ever, the Chinese government scuttled the listing of fintech provider Ant Group. Before the failed offering, Ant's CEO, Jack Ma. had made what some saw as a veiled critique of the government: "We shouldn't use the way to manage a train station to regulate an airport.... We cannot regulate the future with yesterday's means." (3) Chastened after Beijing's intervention, Ant announced that it would "embrace regulation," and Chinese netizens declared Jack Ma duly "tamed." (4)

* In June 2021, France fined Google $593 million for failing to follow an order to negotiate with news publishers to compensate them for displaying snippets of the publishers' news items before linking to... (5) * In July 2021, Luxembourg's privacy regulator fined Amazon $887 million for data protection violations. (6)

Pdf Introduction Sovereignty 2 0 Researchgate

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