Elon Musk and the urgent case for tech sovereignty in India

The article defines technological sovereignty as a nation's ability to retain ultimate control over its digital destiny, ensuring its laws apply and domestic alternatives are available for critical infrastructure. This perspective positions digital autonomy as a national objective on par with energy security and territorial integrity, rather than advocating for isolationism or autarky.

The core concern is not that foreign technology is inherently flawed, but that its seamless integration can make a nation dependent, creating a conceptual "off switch" held by external governments, corporations, or individuals. This reliance risks a gradual erosion of sovereignty, as seen historically when entities like the East India Company became indispensable to the state through a series of seemingly beneficial concessions, rather than outright military conquest.

Historical examples from Latin America further illustrate this danger, where powerful foreign corporations, with the backing of their home governments, influenced national policies and even instigated coups to protect their commercial interests. These cases highlight how economic disputes involving foreign tech providers can escalate into geopolitical conflicts, underscoring the importance of domestic control over critical digital layers.