We must defend our digital sovereignty

Image: 123rf

CYBERSPACE has become the new frontier of global power, marking a shift from a time when colonialism was enforced by military force. Today, a quieter form of colonisation is unfolding digitally through privately-owned platforms, cloud infrastructure, and algorithmic systems headquartered far beyond Malaysia’s jurisdiction.

For a rising middle-income nation striving towards high- income status, this creates an uncomfortable paradox: Malaysia is politically sovereign, yet increasingly digitally dependent.