Digital colonialism is a power imbalance in which one organization, state, or platform extracts data, attention, labor, and economic value from another group while keeping the infrastructure, rules, and profits under external control. In practice, it often shows up when cloud services, AI models, app stores, identity systems, or ad platforms become the only viable way to operate.
In cyber security, this matters because dependence creates risk: telemetry, credentials, and sensitive business data may flow through a few gatekeepers, increasing surveillance exposure, lock-in, and the impact of a compromise at a central provider. Defenders respond with data minimization, strong encryption, local control of critical systems, vendor-risk review, audit logs, and exit plans. Attackers may abuse centralized platforms to harvest data at scale or to pressure victims through service dependency.