A central goal of the Cambodian government’s digital initiatives and policymaking in recent years has been to assert national sovereignty over the digital space. This trend is not unique to Cambodia—many governments worldwide are taking similar steps, implementing laws and regulations that require digital service providers to comply with national legal and taxation frameworks. These measures aim to enhance state control over online information flow. In Cambodia, this effort was exemplified by the planned establishment of a national internet gateway in 2022.

There are rationales for the national government to assert digital sovereignty. The initial concept and expectation of the internet were that people would enjoy a domain independent of state’s oversight and control to be informed, to express, and to organize themself freely. However, facing perceived threats of diminishing influence and control on information flow, many national governments have fought back. Facing internal unrest, some have resorted to outright shutdown of the internet to take control of the situation.

Cambodia’s drive for digital sovereignty is not limited to the planned establishment of the national internet gateway. According to Cambodia’s “Digital Economy and Society Policy Framework” and “Digital Government Policy”, the government plans a range of actions. Those include developing national digital identity, creating legal framework to demarcate cyber-sovereignty, establishing safe, secure, and manageable digital infrastructures like data centers and cloud centers, as well as building strong cybersecurity networks.

However, any attempt to claim digital sovereignty by the state can only be trusted and cooperated with the strong commitment to protect citizen interests and human agency both in the process and in the end.

Protecting Freedom

While responsible expression is needed on the net, the drive for digital sovereignty should not abandon freedom of expression and freedom of thoughts. The state’s utmost tolerance to criticism and diversity of ideas and opinions are key to creating a society strong and resilient enough to the impacts of the age of information disorder. The fears of repercussions for speaking out online and offline will only lead citizens to resort to group thinking that will soon create an uncritical and reluctant population.

The digital sovereignty drive must also not harm general freedom of information. The blockage of access to certain news organizations that failed to comply with government regulations has been largely unsuccessful, as these newsrooms could still publish and broadcast on social media domains. While the decision to cease physical operations of these organizations within Cambodia is controversial, such blockade is unnecessary. People should enjoy access to these contents and the government should trust them to decide whether to believe news reporting.

Protecting Data and Privacy

Of course, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication is trying to be inclusive and consultative in its capacity to draft the forthcoming law on data protection. A considerable number of stakeholders are participating in the drafting and consultative process of this all-important legislation.

At key stages, the draft of this law—and others—must be made public. The general population should have full access to the draft and a dedicated platform to voice their thoughts and opinions, ensuring their input is not just heard but considered as a mandatory factor in the government’s decision-making process.

Data and privacy are central to human protection and agency in the age of digital transformation and artificial intelligence – the context that has made the former more vulnerable than ever.

A strong, participatory, and rigorously-consulted legal framework for data and privacy protection is much needed to pave the way for Cambodia to achieve an inclusive and secure digital future. This should also be applied to cross-border data sharing practices in the framework of international cooperation and business conduct that involve data storage and processing.

Infrastructure Transparency and Accountability

The most important component to achieve digital sovereignty is digital infrastructure. That would involve the government's striving for stronger capability, more state-of-the-art technology and facility, and highly-quality human resources in digital control.

Creating an open and transparent environment in which the public is well informed of the government's digital infrastructure plan to the details (excluding areas that should be concealed out of genuine national security nature) will make the plan and the government action themselves very accountable and more trustworthy. A one-stop information portal that lists all policies, infrastructure maps, and their details will assist this idea.

In the process, any government’s digital infrastructure efforts should be conducted through highly scrutinized procedures to ensure that vendors and service providers in charge of those projects are trustworthy and compliant with the concept of protecting citizen data and safety in the digital domain.

Chhengpor Aun is a research fellow at Cambodia’s public policy think tank Future Forum. This article was made possible through the support of the Center for International Private Enterprise via the project “Mitigating Corrosive Capital Impact by Improving Transparency in Infrastructure.”