From Sovereignty to Surveillance: The Legal Landscape of “Digital Colonialism” in India and Pakistan

Abstract This article examines how the practice of “digital colonialism” raises questions over conventional sovereignty and human rights in surveillance systems. The topic focuses on sovereignty on the internet level, with history and the impact of a new kind of sovereignty on national power. Based on case analysis, the article explores Indian legal measures of the 2000 Information Technology Act, the 2023 Digital Personal Data Protection Act and the 2016 Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and the 2023 Personal Data Protection Bill. Such analyses show the connection between legal procedures and surveillance, with the emphasis on the effects on freedom. In comparison with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Vietnam’s cybersecurity law, notable differences emerge in how each framework balances national security concerns with fundamental rights to data privacy. Furthermore, the position of international law in determining digital sovereignty and human rights is evaluated. Lastly, the article explores digital dependency and the need to translate international norms into strong national laws that ensure data protection applies to foreign tech firms, shaping legal reforms and research priorities.