he $3 trillion extracted annually from our digital lives represents both humanity's greatest challenge and opportunity. As traditional diplomacy struggles with borderless AI and tech giants, we must pioneer a new diplomatic framework centered on universal data sovereignty—one that transforms extraction into empowerment.
Modern diplomacy must evolve beyond state–to–state negotiations to broker a new social contract between individuals, corporations, and governments. By establishing international data governance standards that recognize personal data as a personal and sovereign asset, diplomacy can shift from protecting territorial boundaries to safeguarding digital rights. This requires multilateral treaties that ensure data portability across borders while maintaining individual control—creating a diplomatic architecture for the digital age.
Universal data sovereignty democratizes the digital economy by treating personal data as an asset that generates dividends for its creators. Through dual–sector data commons, anonymized data can fuel public good initiatives while commercial use requires consent and compensation. This model creates new wealth-building pathways for the billions currently excluded from tech prosperity, transforming digital labor from unpaid extraction to recognized contribution. By enabling individuals to pool data cooperatively, we can create community–owned data trusts that negotiate collectively with tech platforms.
Democratized data ownership accelerates climate solutions by aligning incentives. When individuals control their consumption data, they can choose to share it with researchers developing sustainable technologies or pool it to negotiate better terms with green energy providers. Public data commons can accelerate climate modeling and solution development, while personal data sovereignty ensures that climate transition benefits flow to communities rather than concentrating in tech monopolies.
This framework addresses the mental health crisis perpetuated by manipulative algorithms by giving individuals control over their digital experiences. When people own their attention data, platforms must compete on value creation rather than addiction. By strengthening democratic resilience through transparent data governance and enabling ethical AI development through diverse, consensual datasets, we create conditions for genuine human flourishing.
The moment demands audacious action. By establishing universal data sovereignty, we transform the digital economy from an extractive force into humanity's greatest tool for shared prosperity, climate resilience, and democratic renewal.
a global affairs media network
Reimagine digital diplomacy, infrastructure for human flourishing
September 22, 2025
Traditional diplomacy is struggling with borderless AI and tech giants. For a future of human resilience and flourishing, we need a new diplomatic framework—one centered on universal data sovereignty to transform extraction into empowerment, writes Nikos Acuña.
T
he $3 trillion extracted annually from our digital lives represents both humanity's greatest challenge and opportunity. As traditional diplomacy struggles with borderless AI and tech giants, we must pioneer a new diplomatic framework centered on universal data sovereignty—one that transforms extraction into empowerment.
Modern diplomacy must evolve beyond state–to–state negotiations to broker a new social contract between individuals, corporations, and governments. By establishing international data governance standards that recognize personal data as a personal and sovereign asset, diplomacy can shift from protecting territorial boundaries to safeguarding digital rights. This requires multilateral treaties that ensure data portability across borders while maintaining individual control—creating a diplomatic architecture for the digital age.
Universal data sovereignty democratizes the digital economy by treating personal data as an asset that generates dividends for its creators. Through dual–sector data commons, anonymized data can fuel public good initiatives while commercial use requires consent and compensation. This model creates new wealth-building pathways for the billions currently excluded from tech prosperity, transforming digital labor from unpaid extraction to recognized contribution. By enabling individuals to pool data cooperatively, we can create community–owned data trusts that negotiate collectively with tech platforms.
Democratized data ownership accelerates climate solutions by aligning incentives. When individuals control their consumption data, they can choose to share it with researchers developing sustainable technologies or pool it to negotiate better terms with green energy providers. Public data commons can accelerate climate modeling and solution development, while personal data sovereignty ensures that climate transition benefits flow to communities rather than concentrating in tech monopolies.
This framework addresses the mental health crisis perpetuated by manipulative algorithms by giving individuals control over their digital experiences. When people own their attention data, platforms must compete on value creation rather than addiction. By strengthening democratic resilience through transparent data governance and enabling ethical AI development through diverse, consensual datasets, we create conditions for genuine human flourishing.
The moment demands audacious action. By establishing universal data sovereignty, we transform the digital economy from an extractive force into humanity's greatest tool for shared prosperity, climate resilience, and democratic renewal.
