Digital Colonialism: Big Tech's Impact on Pakistan and the Global South

Abstract

This paper analyses digital colonialism as a contemporary form of neocolonialism, with emphasis on its impact on Pakistan’s data governance and cybersecurity framework. It investigates how multinational technology corporations, backed by international institutions, shape regulatory structures, deepen economic dependency, and erode national sovereignty in the Global South. The study employs a doctrinal legal approach, supported by a comparative analysis of international instruments and domestic statutes. Pakistan’s Personal Data Protection Bill 2023 and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 are critically evaluated against benchmarks such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation and India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. Primary and secondary sources, complemented by expert insights, inform the assessment of enforcement capacity, institutional design, and compliance with global norms. Findings indicate that Pakistan’s legal regime remains fragmented and weakly enforced, leaving it vulnerable to surveillance capitalism, unregulated cross-border data flows, and tax avoidance by Big Tech. The Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2025, while ambitious, further illustrates regulatory incoherence by prioritising state control over user rights and omitting safeguards comparable to international best practice. The paper contributes to legal scholarship by situating Pakistan’s experience within a Third World Approaches to International Law framework, showing how global trade and regulatory regimes reinforce asymmetries. It concludes with policy reforms aimed at strengthening privacy protection, enhancing enforcement, and advancing digital sovereignty.