Opinion | Tech firms must play by the rules to keep the internet open

In the span of just a few days, we have witnessed two seismic events in the worlds of technology and geopolitics. Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of social messaging app Telegram, was taken into custody by French authorities on August 24 after his private jet landed at Le Bourget airport outside Paris. The arrest came as prosecutors indicted Durov and Telegram on charges related to the company’s reported failure to comply with laws related to terrorism and child sexual abuse content.

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometres away in Brazil, the government took the extraordinary step of restricting access to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, after its CEO Elon Musk repeatedly refused to comply with court orders to remove several user accounts. Those accounts were deemed to be spreading misinformation and inciting violence by supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro after his loss in the 2022 election to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

These developments might seem like just another couple of chapters in the long-running saga of tech firms against the government. But look closer and you will see that they are part of a much bigger story: the emergence of a new world order in the digital age, where the lines of power and sovereignty are being redrawn in real time.

For years, we have lived in a world where a handful of global tech platforms have amassed unprecedented power and influence. They have connected billions of people across borders, reshaped entire industries and even played a role in attempts to topple governments.

But now, the nation-state is pushing back. Governments around the world are increasingly asserting their authority over these digital superpowers. They are passing new laws, imposing new regulations and even blocking entire platforms when they are seen as stepping out of line.