Technological Sovereignty and Digital Border Infrastructure: The Windsor–Detroit Corridor
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70577/cieninter.v4i3.111Keywords:
Technological Sovereignty; Digital Border Infrastructure; Border Governance; Technological Interoperability; Windsor–Detroit.Abstract
The integration of digital technologies modifies state capacities and presents new challenges for technological sovereignty. The research problem arises from the need to understand how these technologies alter the State’s ability to exercise control over the border and what consequences this process has for technological sovereignty. The objective of the study was to examine how the incorporation of digital technologies changes the State’s ability to manage border control. The methodology was qualitative and was based on the analysis of institutional documents, public policies, academic literature, and specialized reports. The documentary selection considered sources related to the management, digitalization, and security of the Windsor–Detroit corridor. The period of analysis includes the processes of incorporation and consolidation of digital infrastructures in the corridor during 2025. The data were analyzed through a descriptive-analytical approach focused on detection, information exchange, and institutional coordination. The findings indicate that digitalization increases dependence on technological infrastructures and expands border control through sensors, digital platforms, biometric systems, and interoperability mechanisms. It is concluded that digitalization adds a technological dimension to border sovereignty and changes the conditions through which States exercise authority over the border.
Downloads
References
Amelung, N., & Galis, V. (2023). Border control technologies: Introduction. Science as Culture, 32(3), 323–343.https://doi.org/10.1080/09505431.2023.2234932 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09505431.2023.2234932
Cabrera-Medina, J., Magaña Frade, I., Díaz, A., & Cruz, I. (2024). Crossing digital borders: Technology in the migration process across the United States, Mexico, Honduras, and Chile. Frontiers in Political Science, 6, 1487769.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2024.1487769 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2024.1487769
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). (2025). Secure Corridor Concept — Trusted Trader pilot.https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/trade-commerce/corridor-couloir-eng.html
Edler, J., Blind, K., Kroll, H., & Schubert, T. (2023). Technology sovereignty as an emerging frame for innovation policy: Defining rationales, ends and means. Research Policy, 52(6), 104765.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2023.104765 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2023.104765
Falkner, G., Heidebrecht, S., Obendiek, A., & Seidl, T. (2024). Digital sovereignty: Rhetoric and reality. Journal of European Public Policy, 31(8), 2099–2120.https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2024.2358984 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2024.2358984
Fratini, S., Hine, E., Novelli, C., Roberts, H., & Floridi, L. (2024). Digital sovereignty: A descriptive analysis and a critical evaluation of existing models. Digital Society, 3, 59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44206-024-00146-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44206-024-00146-7
Government of Canada, (2025). Regulatory amendments for Canada–United States information sharing agreement.
Gordon, G. (2024). Digital sovereignty, digital infrastructures, and quantum horizons. AI & Society, 39(1), 125–137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-023-01729-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-023-01729-7
Hoeksema, B. (2024). Digital sovereignty, the private sector, and a social republican alternative. Digital Society, 3, 51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44206-024-00140-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44206-024-00140-z
Kenwick, M. R., Simmons, B. A., & McAlexander, R. J. (2023). Infrastructure and authority at the state’s edge: The Border Crossings of the World dataset. Journal of Peace Research, 61(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/00223433221145582 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00223433221145582
Korkmaz, E. E. (2022). Understanding surveillance capitalism from the viewpoint of migration. International Migration, 60(2), 256–260. https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.12985 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.12985
Lehuedé, S. (2024). An alternative planetary future? Digital sovereignty frameworks and the decolonial option. Big Data & Society, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/20539517231221778 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/20539517231221778
Morgan, H. (2022). Conducting a qualitative document analysis. The Qualitative Report, 27(1), 64–77. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.5044 DOI: https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.5044
Murrugarra Retamozo, B. I. (2024). Border surveillance: Biometric technologies and personal data in Latin American migration. Epistemia Revista Científica, 8(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.26495/erc.2820 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26495/erc.2820
Musiani, F. (2022). Infrastructuring digital sovereignty: A research agenda for an infrastructure-based sociology of digital self-determination practices. Information, Communication & Society, 25(6), 785–800.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2049850 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2049850
Narita, K. (2023). An infrastructural approach to the digital Hostile Environment. Journal of Global Ethics, 19(3),294–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449626.2023.2272773 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17449626.2023.2272773
National Security and Intelligence Review Agency. (2022). Study of the Government of Canada’s use of biometrics in the border continuum.https://nsira-ossnr.gc.ca/en/reviews/find-a-review/20-08/report/
Roberts, H. (2024). Digital sovereignty and artificial intelligence: A normative approach. Ethics and Information Technology, 26, 70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-024-09810-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-024-09810-5
Sankofa, N. (2023). Critical method of document analysis. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 26(6), 745–757. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2022.2113664 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2022.2113664
Transport Canada. (2025). Strengthening Canada-U.S. supply chains: Transport Canada signs MOU with Cross-Border Institute.https://tc.canada.ca/en/tc-stories/strengthening-canada-us-supply-chains-transport-canada-signs-mou-cross-border-institute
Valdivia, A., Aradau, C., Blanke, T., & Perret, S. (2022). Neither opaque nor transparent: A transdisciplinary methodology to investigate datafication at the EU borders. Big Data & Society, 9(2).https://doi.org/10.1177/20539517221124586 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/20539517221124586
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 María de los Angeles Blandón Salinas

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.









