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For decades, the internet was imagined as a single, borderless space—a digital commons where ideas, commerce, and culture flowed freely. In 2025, that vision is fading. Analysts warn that the global internet is pulling apart, fractured by politics, economics, and competing visions of digital sovereignty.
At the center of this fragmentation stands China, which has built a parallel ecosystem that rivals the Western web. Platforms like WeChat, Alibaba, and Baidu are not just alternatives to Facebook, Amazon, or Google—they are pillars of a self-contained universe, governed by rules that reflect Beijing’s priorities. This “Great Firewall” has evolved into something more: a model of digital independence that other nations are beginning to study, and in some cases, emulate.
The implications are profound. Instead of one internet, humanity may soon live in multiple internets, each shaped by local laws, cultural values, and geopolitical interests. For businesses, this means navigating separate digital economies. For citizens, it means access to information—and even truth itself—may depend on where they live.
Italy, like much of Europe, finds itself caught between these worlds. On one side lies the open, liberal internet shaped by US tech giants; on the other, the rising influence of China’s controlled digital sphere. The EU’s push for stricter data protection and digital regulation reflects a desire to carve out a third path, balancing openness with sovereignty.
The narrative of internet fragmentation is not just technical—it is deeply human. The web was once a symbol of unity, a place where distance dissolved. Now, it risks becoming a mirror of our divisions, reflecting the same fractures that define global politics.
The question is no longer whether the internet will remain unified. It is whether societies can adapt to a world where digital walls rise as quickly as physical ones.