Cyberspace Sovereignty: Is Territorializing Cyberspace Opposed to Having a Globally Compatible Internet?

Abstract

The internet is at a crossroads today. Whence once viewed as a borderless domain, today it is spoken of in alarmist terms that warn against its demise in the context of growing government censorship programs and powerful commercial interests. This essay reviews the literature on cyberspace and sovereignty, showing the emergence of pro-sovereigntist perspectives and predictions of cyberspace Balkanization in recent decades. It further links the conceptual debate over cyber-sovereignty to real-world geopolitical conflicts and struggles over the future of Internet governance, showing how different conceptions of cyberspace are functions of the geopolitical interests of different powers. Drawing on recent literature on cyber espionage, this essay provides a review of the defensive and offensive practices of state powers in and through cyberspace to argue that while impulses towards re-territorialization of cyberspace are undeniable, such attempts are ultimately frustrated by operations aiming to use common protocols for external security and internal surveillance. Such practices illustrate a more nuanced depiction of sovereignty in cyberspace that goes beyond the borderless versus Balkanized dichotomy.