Digital Securitization: How Online Platforms Change the Security Landscape
Abstract
Through the lens of securitization, this article analyzes the transformation of digital platforms into autonomous actors in international politics. The author proposes the concept of ‘two-level digital securitization,’ in which platforms are (1) agents whose moderation practices shape threat perceptions and the political agenda, and (2) objects of control by governments (e.g., the U.S., the EU, Russia, China, and India) that regulate content, algorithms, and infrastructure in order to reduce platforms’ influence and protect digital sovereignty. In the long run, states will likely shift from reactive regulation to the preventive defense of digital security.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Cybersecurity and Cyber Warfare Studies
Global Security and Public Health
Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Russia in Global Affairs
- Publisher
- Foreign Policy Research Foundation
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 81–97
- Publication date
- 1 January 2026