Policies for Advancing Digital Sovereignty in Latin America

Dates of the project: 2025–2026

The Challenge 

We live in a digital world increasingly dominated by a small number of US-based tech giants, such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, followed—at a distance—by rising Chinese firms. These companies control vast swathes of the digital infrastructure that powers the global economy. For instance, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google collectively dominate almost 70% of the global cloud market, and together with Meta, they own more than half of the world’s undersea internet cables. 

This extreme concentration of digital power deprives most regions—particularly in the Global South—of meaningful digital sovereignty. Societies and institutions across Latin America face deepening dependence on Big Tech, undermining their ability to control critical digital infrastructure and data. This dynamic reinforces other long-standing structural disadvantages, restricting the region’s capacity to define and pursue an independent developmental path. 

Our Approach 

This six-month project will build on previous research led by Cecilia Rikap, including the Reclaiming Digital Sovereignty report co-authored with a coalition of academics and NGOs. 

Leveraging current momentum—marked by growing public and political interest in digital sovereignty across Latin America—the project aims to: 

• Highlight and analyse the dangers of digital dependence on foreign Big Tech companies.
• Explore alternatives for building sovereign digital capacity in Latin America.
• Promote coordinated policy responses at the regional level.
• Engage with local media and policymakers to shape a transformative agenda. 

By combining policy research with strategic outreach, the project seeks to advance a bold, regionally coordinated digital sovereignty agenda. 

Why This Matters 

Digital infrastructure and data are now as fundamental to sovereignty and development as energy or finance. Without the ability to govern their own digital systems, Latin American countries risk permanent dependency in a new era of digital colonialism. 

Promoting regional cooperation and aligned policy strategies is essential to: 

• Protect local innovation and digital rights.
• Ensure fair and secure access to digital technologies.
• Build resilient digital public infrastructure. 

This project is a timely intervention that supports Latin America’s ability to reclaim control over its digital future. 

Resources

Funder

This project is funded by the UCL Policy Support Fund.