China and the United States will split the Internet in half, creating ‘splinternet’

Two internets could emerge in the next five years — one led by China and one led by the United States — a top venture capitalist has predicted, adding to a growing chorus of voices suggesting such a development could take place. The concept has been dubbed the “splinternet,” and it refers to a future in which the internet is fragmented, governed by separate regulations and run by different services.

A unified definition is still unclear, but one suggestion is that the future could see Chinese and American apps and services each dominate half of the internet. That concept was the topic of much discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month. And while there may be two internets coming, “it will not be China and the rest of the world. It will be China and countries that adopt Chinese apps, and countries that adopt American apps,” Kaifu Lee, the CEO of China-based venture capital firm Sinovation Ventures, told CNBC at Davos.

The United States and China are battling for dominance not just when it comes to the internet, but other, interrelated technologies including 5G and artificial intelligence. Both the U.S. and China have been aggressive in developing AI, and recent findings show a split between the U.S and China when it comes to patent filings.

The ‘splinternet’: How China and the US could divide the internet for the rest of the world, CNBC, Feb 04