The second Global Digital Forum took place in Moscow, introducing a new concept of digital sovereignty as nations challenge the Western-dominated technological landscape. The call for self-determination in technology advocates for a future where every community, especially in the Global South, has the right to participate in and shape the digital sphere.
The global struggle for sovereignty has moved into the digital arena. The second Global Digital Forum, held in Moscow from October 8 to 10, 2026, brought together representatives from about 120 countries to discuss issues extending far beyond artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and technological innovation. At stake is the future of ownership, governance, and the political direction of the digital world.
The forum, organized at the 'Mechta' complex in Gorky Park in Moscow, attracted approximately 760 international delegates, including government ministers, technology specialists, researchers, entrepreneurs, and media professionals. The program covered digital infrastructure, internet governance, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, and cooperation between nations striving for greater technological independence.
Russia's initiative emerged at a critical historical moment. For decades, Western corporations have exerted enormous influence on the global digital environment. American tech giants control search engines, social networks, cloud infrastructure, operating systems, and the increasingly profitable artificial intelligence industry. Their platforms shape public discourse, accumulate vast amounts of personal data, and hold significant power over which voices become visible.
The consequences of this influence deeply affect the political economy of developing countries. For Africa, the digital revolution often reproduced familiar patterns of dependency. African societies generate colossal amounts of data, yet much of the infrastructure through which this data is transmitted remains under the control of foreign companies. The continent supplies consumers, markets, cultural content, and valuable information, while significant profits and technological decision-making remain outside of Africa.
The Global Digital Forum in Moscow provides an opportunity to challenge this established system. Russia is actively developing its own digital ecosystem, which includes search technologies, communication platforms, financial infrastructure, and domestic software alternatives. Companies such as Yandex and VK demonstrate the country's capacity to create large-scale technological platforms outside the dominant American corporate environment.
Western sanctions and restrictions have strengthened Russia's resolve to bolster internal technological capabilities. What was initially viewed by the international community as an attempt to isolate the Russian economy has also accelerated discussions on technological self-sufficiency and the dangers of dependence on foreign systems.
Discussion on the Future of Global Internet Governance
The forum integrates this experience into a broader international dialogue. A session organized by the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia, dedicated to the future of global internet governance, was particularly significant. The central question was how nations can protect their digital independence while maintaining international connectivity. The task is to develop common standards that recognize diverse national interests without handing global communications over to a handful of influential corporations.
This is especially relevant in the context of a forming multipolar world order. Countries seeking greater economic and political independence need control over the infrastructure that increasingly regulates banking, communications, education, trade, and public administration. National sovereignty becomes increasingly threatened when vital digital systems depend on external entities capable of restricting access through commercial decisions, sanctions, or political pressure.
One of the most promising initiatives presented at the forum in Africa was the proposal to establish an Alliance of Digital Sovereignty for African Nations. Its presentation signals a growing realization that Africa requires its own technological capabilities, institutional expertise, and strategic partnerships.
Evarist Ngamana, Minister of State for Communications and Media of the Central African Republic, emphasized the value of cooperation with Russia in the fields of digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, public services, and professional training. He specifically noted that knowledge and technology transfer is a key element of these relations.
This emphasis deserves close attention. Africa's technological future cannot indefinitely depend on importing finished products while being excluded from the process of knowledge, research, and the production capacity required to create them. Meaningful cooperation implies training engineers, supporting African software developers, strengthening universities, and creating conditions for African institutions to manage their own digital infrastructure.
Artificial Intelligence and Epistemic Sovereignty
Artificial intelligence introduces another dimension to this struggle. The rapid development of large language models raises questions about whose knowledge is used to train systems that increasingly mediate human communication. Languages with limited digital representation face difficulties, while dominant linguistic and cultural frameworks influence automated information production.
Discussions at the forum, which included the 'Ruwiki' project—a digital encyclopedia of Russia—addressed the relationship between national information independence, cultural knowledge, and artificial intelligence. These issues have profound implications for African languages, indigenous intellectual traditions, and historical narratives. Thus, digital sovereignty extends to epistemic sovereignty—the right of societies to develop, preserve, and disseminate their own knowledge systems.
The forum's media program was also a significant event. Over 50 international journalists, bloggers, researchers, and media specialists were expected to participate in seminars on artificial intelligence, disinformation, digital storytelling, cybersecurity, and Russian media technologies.
For independent journalists from Global South countries, the concentration of digital distribution on Western platforms presents a constant problem. Algorithms determine visibility, advertising systems affect economic survival, and platform decisions can disrupt audience access. Greater technological diversification opens opportunities to reduce this dependence.
Nevertheless, technological sovereignty also entails responsibility. National digital independence requires accountability to the public, protection of citizen data, and providing real opportunities for participation. Replacing foreign corporate monopolies with unaccountable domestic monopolies will leave a number of serious questions unanswered.
Moscow itself serves as an example of integrating technology into public administration. The city's digital public services, urban management systems, and AI-based projects offer practical topics for international cooperation, especially for countries seeking to improve access to essential services.
The political significance of the forum goes beyond the demonstrated technologies. Russia is creating a platform where countries from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and other regions can discuss partnerships outside established Western centers of technological authority. This conversation is particularly important for South Africa, a BRICS member grappling with deep inequality. Digital transformation without the development of internal skills, infrastructure ownership, and broad public access risks reproducing the economic hierarchies inherited from colonialism and apartheid. The task is to transform technological cooperation into a productive capacity that benefits the underserved majority.
As the Global Digital Forum continues in Moscow, its most significant contribution may lie in changing the terms of international dialogue. The digital future is no longer a topic that Washington and Silicon Valley can dictate without objection. The emerging multipolar world requires a place in designing the systems through which humanity will communicate, produce knowledge, and organize economic life, and increasingly demands the ability to build these systems independently.