Sovereignty and Data Localization Copyright © 2026 The President and Fellows of Harvard College

https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/sovereignty-and-data-localization Data localization policies impose obligations on businesses to store and process data locally, rather than in servers located overseas. The adoption of data localization laws has been increasing, driven by the fear that a nation’s sovereignty will be threatened by their inability to exert full control over data stored outside their borders. This is particularly relevant to the US given its dominance in many areas of the digital ecosystem including artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Copyright © 2026 The President and Fellows of Harvard College