Layered Sovereignty and Digital Governance: Comparative Models of Infrastructure, Regulation, and AI-Mediated Control in the Global Data Economy

Abstract

The fragmentation of global internet governance has precipitated divergent models of digital sovereignty, challenging traditional Westphalian conceptions of territorial jurisdiction. This paper examines the emergence of "layered sovereignty" across four geopolitical blocs—the United States, European Union, Asia, and Africa—through comparative analysis of legal frameworks, infrastructural control, and algorithmic governance. Drawing on Layered Sovereignty Theory (LST), we analyze how state and non-state actors exercise authority through overlapping legal-regulatory, infrastructural, and platform layers. Our analysis reveals that while the U.S. exemplifies market-led corporate sovereignty embedded in cloud infrastructure and extraterritorial instruments like the CLOUD Act, the EU projects normative power through rights-based regulations such as the GDPR. Conversely, Asian states demonstrate infrastructural nationalism through data localization and sovereign cloud initiatives, while African nations pursue hybrid collaborative sovereignty through regional frameworks like the Malabo Convention. We argue that submarine cables and data centers function as the material substrate of digital sovereignty, creating jurisdictional entanglements that transcend borders. The study integrates recent advances in AI governance, digital twin technologies, and sustainable infrastructure to demonstrate how sovereignty is enacted through technical architectures, with implications for remote work ecosystems, precision agriculture, and public health surveillance. Our findings suggest that effective digital governance requires alignment between normative frameworks and material infrastructure.

Keywords: Digital sovereignty; layered governance; cross-border data flows; submarine cables, GDPR CLOUD Act; digital twins;