Federal control over critical data infrastructure in the US has reached a near-maximum level that persists no matter which party wins the White House.
April 25, 2026
Original Paper
The Infrastructure Concentration Index (ICI)
SSRN · 6626718
The Takeaway
A longitudinal index reveals that the concentration of data power in the hands of the government is a permanent trend. This centralization has accelerated to an Infrastructure Concentration Index of 90 out of 100. It demonstrates that the growth of the state's digital power is independent of political ideology or election results. Both parties have overseen the steady accumulation of control over the networks that run the country. This trend suggests that the real power over information is held by institutions that do not change every four years. Citizens should worry less about the person in office and more about the systems they inherit.
From the abstract
<div> <div> <div> <div> <p>The Infrastructure Concentration Index (ICI) is the first longitudinal composite indicator measuring U.S. federal government control over critical data infrastructure from 2002 to 2025. The index aggregates six dimensions from primary government sources: FBI biometric records, FinCEN Suspicious Activity Reports, DHS border biometric coverage, FISA Section 702 targets, FERC-jurisdictional energy load, and federal high-performance computing budget.</p> </div> </div> <div