DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY AS A LEGAL CATEGORY: BETWEEN NATIONAL JURISDICTION AND THE POWER OF DIGITAL PLATFORMS

Amid the transformation of the global digital order and the growing influence of transnational platforms, traditional understandings of state sovereignty are undergoing significant reconsideration. This article examines digital sovereignty as an emerging legal category situated at the intersection of state jurisdiction and private platform power. The authors propose a differentiated framework in which digital sovereignty is analyzed through three domains of legal regulation: territorial, network, and algorithmic. The article explores legal models developed in the European Union, the United States, and selected countries of the Global South, including India, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia, which illustrate diverse approaches to building normative autonomy and exercising control over digital flows. The paper argues for the need to reconceptualize sovereignty as a flexible and functional legal construct aimed at ensuring regulatory accountability of digital actors, algorithmic transparency, and the advancement of co-regulation mechanisms. Finally, it outlines directions for the regulatory structuring of digital sovereignty in the context of a fragmented normative landscape and increasing tensions between governmental authority and corporate influence.

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