Collaborative partnerships prove more effective than installation mandates
En un momento en que la inteligencia artificial redefine el alcance y la velocidad de las amenazas digitales, Chile ha optado por un camino menos evidente pero más honesto: reconocer sus propios límites frente a los gigantes tecnológicos y apostar, en cambio, por la educación ciudadana y la colaboración institucional. Durante el seminario Patagonia Ciber celebrado en Concepción, la Agencia Nacional de Ciberseguridad dejó en claro que la soberanía digital no se conquista con mandatos que nadie puede hacer cumplir, sino con la construcción paciente de conocimiento, confianza y alianzas. Es una apuesta que reconoce que la primera línea de defensa no está en los servidores, sino en las personas.
- La inteligencia artificial ha acelerado la detección y explotación de vulnerabilidades a una escala que hace apenas unos años era impensable, elevando el nivel de urgencia para ciudadanos e instituciones por igual.
- El debate sobre la Ley de Protección de Datos Personales expuso una tensión real: exigir presencia física a Meta o X podría llevar a estas plataformas a retirarse del mercado chileno antes que ceder.
- La agencia descartó los mandatos de instalación local y apostó por acuerdos colaborativos con las plataformas, reconociendo que Chile carece del peso negociador de mercados como la Unión Europea.
- El foco regulatorio se desplaza hacia la ciudadanía: reconocer señales de fraude, usar contraseñas robustas y proteger la información personal se vuelven prácticas tan urgentes como cualquier política institucional.
- Chile figura entre los diez primeros países de la OCDE en modernización del Estado, y su temprana gobernanza en ciberseguridad lo posiciona como referente regional frente a amenazas que aún están por venir.
La Agencia Nacional de Ciberseguridad de Chile dejó en claro, durante el seminario Patagonia Ciber celebrado por primera vez en Concepción, que no buscará obligar a plataformas como Meta o X a establecer infraestructura física en el país. Michelle Bordachar, directora subrogante de la agencia, explicó la razón con franqueza: Chile no tiene el poder de negociación que sí posee la Unión Europea. Intentar imponer ese tipo de requisitos probablemente llevaría a las empresas a abandonar el mercado antes que cumplir, pues el costo de instalarse superaría con creces los ingresos que Chile representa. La colaboración, concluyó la agencia, es más eficaz que la imposición.
El verdadero eje del seminario fue otro: la educación digital de los ciudadanos. Bordachar subrayó que la inteligencia artificial ha transformado el panorama de amenazas, permitiendo detectar y explotar vulnerabilidades con una velocidad y escala sin precedentes. Frente a eso, el consejo es tan sencillo como urgente: usar contraseñas fuertes, cuidar la información personal en redes sociales y desconfiar de contactos inesperados que generan presión o urgencia. No son ideas nuevas, pero nunca habían sido tan necesarias.
Pelayo Covarrubias, presidente de la Fundación País Digital, aportó una perspectiva más alentadora. Chile construyó su gobernanza en ciberseguridad antes que la mayoría de los países y ha logrado una colaboración real entre gobierno, sector privado y sociedad civil, algo que muchas naciones no han conseguido. Los organismos internacionales lo han notado: según indicadores de la OCDE, Chile se ubica entre los diez primeros países del mundo en modernización del Estado. Esa fortaleza institucional no garantiza inmunidad, pero sí una capacidad de respuesta que pocos países de la región pueden igualar.
Chile's National Cybersecurity Agency has made clear it will not pursue a path that many smaller nations have considered: forcing global tech platforms to establish physical operations within the country. The decision came into focus during Patagonia Ciber, a cybersecurity seminar held for the first time in Concepción, where Michelle Bordachar, the acting director of the agency, explained the reasoning behind the stance.
The question itself emerged during debates over Chile's Personal Data Protection Law. Bordachar laid out the practical constraint: as a smaller nation, Chile simply does not possess the negotiating leverage that larger markets like the European Union can wield. If the country attempted to mandate that companies like Meta or X establish local infrastructure, many would likely choose to withdraw services entirely rather than comply. The math is straightforward—the cost of compliance would outweigh the revenue potential. Instead, the agency has concluded that building collaborative partnerships with these platforms proves far more effective than imposing installation requirements.
The seminar itself reflected a broader shift in how Chile is approaching cybersecurity challenges. Rather than focusing regulatory energy on where companies operate from, the country is investing in what its officials see as the real vulnerability: the knowledge and habits of its citizens. Bordachar emphasized that people need to understand how to protect themselves in an increasingly hostile digital environment. This means recognizing the telltale signs of fraud—urgent requests for money, pressure for immediate responses, suspicious solicitations that feel off. The stakes have risen because artificial intelligence has fundamentally changed the threat landscape. AI systems can now detect and exploit security weaknesses at a speed and scale that was impossible just years ago.
The practical advice Bordachar offered was unglamorous but essential: use strong passwords, guard personal information on social media, remain skeptical of unexpected contact. These are not new ideas, but they have become more urgent. The seminar, which spans two days in the Bío Bío region, brought together national authorities and experts to address how digital crime is evolving and what institutions and individuals can do about it.
Pelayo Covarrubias, president of the Fundación País Digital, offered a counterweight to the anxiety that often surrounds cybersecurity discussions. Chile, he noted, has moved faster than most nations in building institutional capacity for this challenge. The country established formal cybersecurity governance early, and it has fostered genuine collaboration among government, private sector, and civil society—a combination that many nations struggle to achieve. International bodies have taken notice. According to OECD indicators, Chile ranks among the top ten countries globally in state modernization. That institutional strength is not a guarantee against future threats, but it positions the country to respond to them more effectively than many peers.
Citações Notáveis
As a smaller country, many companies could choose not to install or provide services. We lack the negotiating power of the European Union, so collaborative alliances are more effective than installation obligations.— Michelle Bordachar, acting director of Chile's National Cybersecurity Agency
Chile was among the earliest nations to establish cybersecurity institutions and has fostered effective collaboration between the state, private companies, and civil society—a strength recognized by international organizations.— Pelayo Covarrubias, president of Fundación País Digital
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would a country even want to force Meta or X to set up offices there? What problem is that supposed to solve?
The idea is that if a platform has people and infrastructure on the ground, they're more accountable to local law enforcement and regulators. If something goes wrong—fraud, harassment, data breaches—there's someone to hold responsible. But Chile's cybersecurity agency decided the cost of that leverage isn't worth it.
Because the companies would just leave?
Exactly. Chile is a market of 19 million people. Meta and X operate globally. If you make the terms too expensive or burdensome, they calculate that it's not worth staying. You lose the service entirely.
So what's the alternative? Just accept that these platforms operate without local accountability?
Not quite. Instead of mandates, Chile is building partnerships—agreements where the platforms cooperate voluntarily because it's in their interest. And more importantly, the agency is betting that the real problem isn't the platforms. It's that ordinary people don't know how to protect themselves.
How does that work when AI is making attacks easier?
That's the harder part. You can teach people to spot obvious scams, but AI is getting better at mimicking legitimate requests. The education piece buys time, but it's not a complete solution. It's more about raising the baseline so fewer people fall for the easiest tricks.
And Chile thinks it's doing this better than other countries?
According to international measures, yes. They built the institutional framework early and got everyone—government, companies, civil society—working together. That's rare. Most countries are still arguing about who should be in charge.