This analysis reveals risks of digital decentralization on state sovereignty, suggesting dialogue with IT communities for adaptation.
Aim . To reveal the ideological nature of digital decentralization as a systemic challenge to traditional state sovereignty and to identify risks for modern states amid technological transformation. Methodology . The core of the study comprises an analysis of key digital decentralization ideologies (crypto-anarchism, cyber-syndicalism, cypherpunk), their technological foundations, and implementation practices. A comparative analysis of foundational manifestos by crypto-anarchists and cypherpunks (T. May, E. Hughes) was conducted, and the evolution of decentralized movements was synthesized. Results . The analysis demonstrated that the synergy of technologies and extra-systemic ideologies creates parallel governance systems undermining the state’s monopoly on regulating finance, information, law, and the exercise of power. Threats to modern states include: erosion of trust in institutions, use of decentralized digital resources for protest mobilization, sanctions evasion via cryptocurrencies, and increased citizen registrations in virtual jurisdictions operating beyond national law. Research implications . Proposals for state adaptation are formulated: shifting from technology bans to dialogue with IT communities and developing preventive measures. The author introduces an original interpretation of digital decentralization as “engineering autocracy”, where algorithmic power replaces political-legal mechanisms. The study reframes issues of state sovereignty in the context of competition with decentralized anti-systems.
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Sergey Volodenkov (2025) studied this question.
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