Internet Centralization and Digital Sovereignty

Lisandro Zambenedetti Granville

Internet centralization occurs when critical services and infrastructure become concentrated in the hands of fewer providers. This trend goes against the original design principles of the Internet, which prioritized distribution and decentralization. Centralization not only increases the risk of single points of failure but also raises concerns about digital sovereignty. For example, it can lead to a situation where a growing number of countries become heavily dependent on Internet services provided by companies based in a small number of other countries. In this talk, we will examine how Internet centralization manifests today by focusing on three critical services: DNS, web hosting, and email. We will analyze these services in terms of the dependencies that arise between countries and how such dependencies can undermine their digital sovereignty.

Bio

Lisandro Zambenedetti Granville is a full professor at the Institute of Informatics (INF) of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil. He served as the president of the Brazilian Computer Society (SBC) from 2015 to 2019 and, starting in April 2025, will assume the role of CEO of the Brazilian National Research and Education Network (RNP). Lisandro holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from UFRGS (2001) and has held prominent positions such as Chair of IEEE ComSoc’s Committee on Network Operations and Management (CNOM), Director for Latin America of IEEE ComSoc, and Co-Chair of the IETF’s Network Management Research Group (NMRG). His research focuses on network and service management, with an emphasis on Internet centralization, digital sovereignty, network programmability, and intent-based networking.