Internet fragmentation is coming now, and too powerful SDOs is the reason.

Clément Perarnaud, “Finding the path to a more open internet. A new European approach toward internet standards,” Open Future, 02-12-2024, https://openfuture.pubpub.org/pub/internet-standards/release/3

The internet is often celebrated for its openness. Usually presented as one of the few critical properties having propelled the internet’s success over recent decades, the notion of openness remains at the heart of its founding mythology.

Though for arguably different reasons, the openness of the internet is supported by a wide range of civil society organizations, companies, and states, using this concept as a synonym for “free,” “interoperable,” or “market-friendly.”

Despite all of its supporters, there is an emerging consensus that the Open Internet is now under threat. Two major developments are generally considered, namely the almost unparalleled power gained by a few technological monopolies over the internet, and the acceleration of the assertiveness of state actors in relation to its infrastructure and governance. In part justified by the former, the growing assertiveness of states is evidenced by new claims supporting the protection of their digital sovereignty. Though there are of course different understandings of what it means in practice, the concept of digital sovereignty generally refers to the ambition that states and governments should reaffirm their authority and protect their self-determination in the digital sphere. Such claims are generally voiced as an alternative to a “hegemonic” status quo, at times identified as the ever-growing power of Big Tech, and/or the broader dominance of powerful states such as the U.S. or China over the internet.