From Digital Sovereignty to Digital Agency

Introduction

This brief from New America’s Planetary Politics initiative discusses the rising trend of digital sovereignty and its implications for global digital governance. It argues that while digital sovereignty may seem appealing as a means of reclaiming control over the digital ecosystem, it carries significant risks, potentially undermining the very goals of autonomy and self-reliance it seeks to achieve. The author, Akash Kapur, proposes ‘digital agency’ as a more effective organizing principle, emphasizing the rights and needs of communities and individuals alongside those of nation-states. This resource matters because it challenges conventional thinking on digital governance and offers a more inclusive framework that could be vital for digital public goods (DPGs) and digital public infrastructure (DPI).

Key Insights

The Problem with Digital Sovereignty

The article argues that digital sovereignty, while aiming to provide national freedom and global equity, can inadvertently lead to authoritarianism, a balkanized internet, and self-undermining policies. It can also reinforce existing power structures.

“The flipside of sovereignty’s freedom-enhancing possibility is that it may also enable authoritarianism, repression, and surveillance.”

Digital Agency as a Solution

Digital agency emphasizes the rights and needs of communities and individuals in the digital ecosystem, fostering multistakeholder governance and diverse representation.

“While the former seeks to reinforce the primacy of nation-states, digital agency asserts the rights, priorities, and needs not only of sovereign governments but also of the constituent parts—the communities and individuals—they purport to represent.”

Principles of Digital Agency

Three cross-cutting principles underlie the concept of digital agency: recognizing stakeholder multiplicity, enhancing the latent possibilities of technology, and prioritizing collaboration.

Action Areas for Digital Policymakers

The brief outlines three action areas for digital policymakers: reinventing institutions, enabling edge technologies, and building human capacity to promote technical capacity.

Key Statistics & Data

• 69 countries have already enacted over 1,000 laws and policies governing AI, highlighting the growing global focus on regulating the digital ecosystem.

Methodology

The brief uses a policy analysis approach, examining the historical context of digital sovereignty, dissecting its various forms, and proposing digital agency as a superior alternative. It draws on examples and case studies from various countries and regions to illustrate its arguments.

Applications

These insights have several applications for digital development, Digital Public Goods, and Digital Public Infrastructure:

• DPI Design: DPI initiatives should be designed with digital agency in mind, ensuring that they are inclusive, participatory, and responsive to the needs of diverse communities.
• Policy Frameworks: Policymakers can use the principles of digital agency to develop regulatory frameworks that balance national interests with the rights and freedoms of individuals.
• DPG Implementation: When implementing DPGs, it is important to consider how these tools can empower communities and individuals, rather than simply reinforcing existing power structures.
• Global Collaboration: The brief’s emphasis on collaboration highlights the need for international cooperation on digital governance issues, with a focus on building alliances among stakeholders with shared interests and complementary capacities.