The digital revolution has transformed societies worldwide, promising new pathways to development, knowledge exchange, and connectivity. Yet, for much of the Global South, this promise conceals a new form of control and dependency: digital colonialism. As multinational tech corporations and foreign states dominate digital infrastructure, data, and platforms in developing regions, power imbalances reminiscent of historical colonialism are resurfacing in a digital guise. This editorial unpacks how digital colonialism manifests, its impact on sovereignty, economies, cultures, and governance, and why urgent policy action is necessary to reclaim digital autonomy for the Global South.
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Before moving forward, it is important to understand the digital colonialism. Digital colonialism refers to the domination and exploitation of digital spaces and data resources in the Global South by foreign powers, often through corporate monopolies. Unlike the overt territorial conquests of the colonial past, today’s form of control is subtler, embedded in the flow of data, control over digital infrastructure, and dominance of platforms that mediate online lives. The Global South, which includes much of Africa, Latin America, and large parts of Asia, is home to the fastest-growing populations of internet users. Yet, these users often rely on technologies and platforms designed and controlled externally.
Data has become the most valuable commodity of the 21st century, comparable to oil or minerals in the industrial era. The Global South generates vast amounts of data through mobile phones, social media, e-commerce, and IoT devices. However, the infrastructure that collects, stores, and analyzes this data is primarily owned by companies based in the Global North. The result is a new extractive relationship where digital resources are drained from developing countries without commensurate benefits, reinforcing economic and political inequalities.
Data Extraction and Economic Exploitation
Data collected from millions in the Global South fuels AI development, advertising revenue, and surveillance capitalism, mostly benefiting foreign companies. Facebook, Google, and Amazon report multi-billion-dollar revenues from users in Africa, South Asia, and Latin America, yet local governments often receive negligible tax revenues from these profits. For example, a 2020 report by the South Centre noted that digital platforms use transfer pricing and tax avoidance to minimize contributions in developing countries, exacerbating fiscal challenges.
Moreover, users typically have little knowledge or control over how their data is used. This “digital rent” extracted through user data mirrors colonial resource extraction, raising ethical and political concerns about consent, privacy, and ownership. In many cases, the economic value generated by this data leaves local economies, deepening inequality.
Infrastructure Dependence and Sovereignty Loss
Digital infrastructure, undersea cables, data centers, cloud computing facilities, is dominated by a handful of corporations based mostly in the US, Europe, and China. For instance, 95% of internet traffic in Africa is routed through cables owned or controlled by Western or Chinese entities. This dependency undermines the ability of Global South nations to regulate, secure, or independently develop their digital ecosystems.
Countries like Kenya and Nigeria, while rapidly expanding internet access, remain reliant on foreign-owned infrastructure. This limits sovereignty, as governments cannot easily enforce data localization, privacy protections, or cyber-security measures. Furthermore, geopolitical tensions can disrupt digital services; for example, US sanctions on certain countries affect access to cloud services and software critical to local economies.
Algorithmic Control and Information Manipulation
Algorithms developed by foreign companies decide what content is visible or prioritized on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. These opaque systems influence public discourse, political mobilization, and social cohesion. During Kenya’s 2017 and 2018 elections, misinformation and hate speech spread rapidly through Facebook, exacerbating ethnic tensions and violence. Local authorities lacked the tools or legal framework to regulate or counteract these effects, highlighting the dangers of algorithmic colonialism.
Additionally, content moderation policies often reflect Western cultural norms, sidelining local languages and issues. This homogenization restricts diversity of expression and civic participation, reinforcing cultural imperialism through digital means.
Labor Exploitation in the Gig Economy
Digital platforms such as Uber, Jumia, and Upwork offer economic opportunities but also impose precarious labor conditions in the Global South. Gig workers often receive low pay without social protections, while platform companies control terms of engagement. This model perpetuates economic exploitation under the guise of digital entrepreneurship. For example, in Nigeria, ride-hailing drivers have reported long hours, high commissions, and lack of benefits, while Uber profits soar globally.
Moreover, the dominance of foreign platforms stifles the growth of local digital businesses. Startups face stiff competition from established global players with massive funding and infrastructure advantages, limiting innovation and economic diversification.
Policy and Legal Constraints
Global South governments face significant barriers in regulating digital markets. Limited technical expertise, resource constraints, and pressure from international trade agreements hamper efforts to enforce data sovereignty and digital rights. For example, some African nations proposed data localization laws to keep citizens’ data within borders, but these faced opposition from multinational companies citing increased costs and technical challenges.
International intellectual property laws often favor multinational corporations, complicating access to digital technologies and platforms. This legal asymmetry entrenches digital dependency, reducing the policy space for sovereign decision-making on digital matters.
Cultural Erasure and Linguistic Marginalization
Dominant platforms predominantly use Western languages, marginalizing millions who speak indigenous or regional languages. This linguistic imperialism affects access to education, healthcare, and civic engagement online. UNESCO estimates that over 40% of the world’s languages are endangered, and digital exclusion accelerates this trend. Efforts to create localized content are often underfunded or overshadowed by global platforms, leading to a loss of cultural diversity in digital spaces.
Environmental Costs and Resource Extraction
The environmental footprint of digital colonialism is significant but under-recognized. Data centers require massive energy, and the extraction of minerals needed for digital devices, like cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements, is concentrated in the Global South under exploitative conditions. The Democratic Republic of Congo supplies over 60% of global cobalt but suffers from human rights abuses and environmental degradation linked to mining operations fueling global digital markets.
This environmental injustice adds another dimension to digital colonialism, where resource extraction harms local communities while benefiting foreign companies.
Kenya’s Mobile Revolution and Data Dependence
Kenya’s mobile money system, M-Pesa, revolutionized financial inclusion but relied heavily on foreign-owned telecommunications infrastructure and software platforms. While M-Pesa improved access to financial services, profits from data analytics and platform control accrue mainly to foreign investors. Kenya’s government has since tried to develop policies for data protection and local innovation, but challenges remain in reducing dependence on global platforms.
India’s Data Localization Push
India, one of the largest internet markets, has taken significant steps to assert digital sovereignty by proposing data localization laws requiring companies to store Indian users’ data within the country. This move aims to protect privacy, improve security, and foster local tech development. However, it has met resistance from foreign companies warning of increased costs and reduced market access, illustrating the geopolitical tensions around digital colonialism.
Africa’s Digital Infrastructure Challenges
Despite massive investments in undersea cables and mobile networks, Africa remains dependent on external providers for cloud services and digital platforms. The African Union has launched the Digital Transformation Strategy to build local capacities, but infrastructural and regulatory gaps slow progress, perpetuating digital dependence.
Strengthen Digital Sovereignty Frameworks
Governments must enact and enforce data protection, privacy laws, and data localization policies suited to their contexts while ensuring these do not isolate their digital economies.
Invest in Local Infrastructure and Innovation
Public and private investment in local data centers, cloud computing, and tech startups can reduce dependency on foreign providers and stimulate economic growth.
Promote Multilingual and Culturally Relevant Content
Supporting digital content creation in indigenous languages enhances inclusivity and preserves cultural diversity.
Enhance Regional Cooperation
Regional bodies like the African Union can develop common digital policies to increase bargaining power against multinational corporations.
Address Environmental Sustainability
Encourage responsible sourcing of digital minerals and promote green data centers to reduce environmental harm.
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Digital colonialism is a multifaceted challenge intertwining economic, political, cultural, and environmental issues. While digital technologies offer immense potential for development, they simultaneously create new dependencies reminiscent of past colonial dynamics. The Global South faces a paradox: embracing digital innovation while safeguarding sovereignty and equity. Emerging efforts at digital sovereignty, local innovation, and multilateral cooperation are promising but insufficient alone. Meaningful change requires reimagining global digital governance frameworks, increasing investment in local digital ecosystems, and addressing the broader structural inequalities underpinning digital colonialism.
Digital colonialism threatens to entrench existing inequalities under the guise of technological progress. The Global South’s rapid digital integration is both a blessing and a vulnerability, exposing nations to new forms of exploitation through data extraction, infrastructure control, and platform monopolies. Reclaiming digital sovereignty, fostering local innovation, and shaping equitable global digital governance are imperative steps to ensure the digital future is one of empowerment, not domination. The stakes are high: the path chosen today will shape whether the Global South remains digitally dependent or emerges as an autonomous, thriving player in the global digital ecosystem.
