Digital platforms have become key gateways to information, communication, and public debate. As concerns over foreign influence, data security, and platform accountability grow, actors around the world are increasingly seeking greater control over digital spaces. Authoritarian regimes are redefining the concept of "digital sovereignty," weaponizing sovereign narrative and state security arguments to expand domestic censorship, restrict open communications, and tighten control over information channels.

 

This panel explores how digital sovereignty is being used in the global information environment. It will examine how the Kremlin and other authoritarian actors have leveraged sovereignty narratives to justify tighter control over online platforms, messaging services, and digital infrastructure, while simultaneously advancing broader models of state-centered information governance.  The panel will assess whether democratic regulatory frameworks can respond to these challenges. As the European Union seeks to strengthen platform accountability, important questions remain about the reach and effectiveness of these mechanisms when platforms operate across jurisdictions, data flows transcend national borders, and ownership structures lie beyond European oversight.

 

Bringing together experts on platform governance, information integrity, and digital policy, the discussion will explore the implications of competing models of digital governance for democratic resilience, freedom of expression, and the future of information integrity.