Can the Global South Avoid Digital Colonialism?
Platform capitalism creates new dependencies for developing nations. Russia's fortress model and China's managed openness offer contrasting paths, while Indonesia's 'Benteng Indonesia' concept proposes a flexible third way.
The Rise of Digital Colonialism
As the US-led world order transitions to digital multipolarity, control of data, algorithms, and infrastructure now determines global influence. For the Global South, this creates "digital colonialism": rapid economic growth tied to deepening tech dependence on Western platforms. Russia's fortress model minimizes external risk by controlling key sectors and the Runet, ensuring resilience at the cost of potential technological stagnation. China's regulated openness selectively integrates foreign tech for modernization while maintaining state control over strategic areas, but faces social imbalances and political pressure from rapid integration.
Indonesia's Third Path
Indonesia, holder of the world's largest nickel reserves, cannot fully isolate or unconditionally open. Its "Benteng Indonesia" concept proposes flexible sovereignty: resource sovereignty to control battery and EV supply chains, adjustable digital openness to attract investment while protecting strategic data, and development of national data centers, cloud platforms, and energy infrastructure. This approach aims to manage participation in the global digital economy without losing autonomy—turning digital infrastructure from a dependency into a development tool.
