Work

Digital Sovereignty

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Digital sovereignty is the power to exercise legitimate authority over one’s own digital domain, unimpeded by illegitimate external interference. As peoples and nations confront rising geopolitical tensions, strategic dependencies, and accelerating technological change, this capacity has become increasingly consequential. Debates over artificial intelligence (AI) regulation (Roberts 2024 ), semiconductor export controls (Chapman 2024 ; Miller 2022 ), and the politicisation of social media platforms (Tambini 2025 ; Kitchens et al. 2020 ) all concern who can exercise such authority. Control over standards and protocols increasingly shapes global interdependence and functions as levers of sovereignty (Musiani 2022 ; Nanni 2022 ). Meanwhile, ‘Big Tech’ corporations govern vast user populations, exercising forms of authority over civic life that can rival or exceed those of governments (Braun and Hummel 2024 ; Almeida et al. 2025 ).

Source: Business & Information Systems Engineering

DOI: 10.1007/s12599-026-01018-9

Authors: Blair Wang, Raffaele Fabio Ciriello, Alexander Richter

Institutions: Curtin University, The University of Sydney, University of Auckland, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Cybersecurity and Cyber Warfare Studies

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,090