Digital Sovereignty and Digital Authoritarianism

While the notion of “digital sovereignty” is mostly used in Europe as a synonym for the concept of “strategic autonomy”, as coined by the European Union, it is also used, outside Europe, to refer to strategies aimed at regaining control of the global network. In fact, since the beginning of the 2000s, China and Russia have been trying to build a so-called “sovereign Internet” both at the lower layers (servers, protocols) and upper layers (social networks, messaging services) of the Internet. In light of these two examples, can we fear, as is often the case across the Atlantic, that the concept of “digital sovereignty” risks legitimizing shifts toward digital authoritarianism?

This annual conference will approach the notion of digital sovereignty in a renewed, global perspective, and will allow to discuss the digital and cyber features of the Ukraine war and the current technological confrontation between China and the United States.

Opening Session: Digital Sovereignty and Digital Authoritarianism (in English)

Keynote: Nate Persily (James B. McClatchy Professor of law at Stanford Law School, Co-Director, Stanford Cyber Policy Center)

Discussants:
- Sergei Guriev (Provost, Professor of Economics, Sciences Po)
- Arancha González, (Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po)
Moderator: Florence G’sell (Professor of private law at University of Lorraine, Chairholder, Sciences Po Digital, Governance and Sovereignty Chair)

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