###### Abstract  
This article explores how decentralized Web3 is reshaping Internet governance by enabling the emergence of new forms of nation-statehood and redefining traditional concepts of state sovereignty. Based on fieldwork conducted in Silicon Valley since August 2022, this article systematically addresses the following research question: How is decentralized Web3 reshaping Internet governance and influencing the rise in new nation-statehood paradigms? It compares three emerging paradigms around Web3: (i) Network States ([PERSON]), envisioning digital entities rooted in crypto-libertarian principles; (ii) Network Sovereignities ([PERSON]), emphasizing communal governance aligned with digital commons; and (iii) Algorithmic Nations ([PERSON]), drawing on Arendian thought and demonstrating how communities--such as indigenous and stateless groups, as well as e-disaporas--can attain self-determination through data sovereignty. This article contributes a unique conceptual analysis of these paradigms based on fieldwork action research in Silicon Valley, responding to evolving technologies and their potential to reshape Internet governance. This article argues that decentralized Web3 provides a transformative vision for Internet governance but requires careful evaluation to ensure that it promotes inclusivity and equity. It advocates for a hybrid approach that balances global and local dynamics, emphasizing the need for solidarity, digital justice, and an internationalist perspective in shaping future Internet governance protocols. Web3; internet governance; decentralization; blockchain; decentralized autonomous organizations; data co-operatives; network states; network sovereignties; algorithmic nations +
Footnote †: journal: _Future Internet_  
decentralized Web3 paradigms are reconfiguring the relationship between governance, territory, and citizenship. Increasingly, Big Tech firms--also known as data-opoles--have assumed roles traditionally held by nation-states [2], such as surveillance and governance. This shift is leading to the determritorialization of citizenship and a reimagining of political structures [8]. Contrary to libertarian beliefs that decentralization would dismantle state structures, these developments suggest a transformation in how sovereignty and governance are exercised [9; 10; 11; 12]. The concept of rescaling--wherein global and local forces interact to reshape state functions--has profound implications for the future of governance. This rescaling is evident in the rise in city-regional governance and the increasing prominence of digital platforms as arbiters of power, challenging the traditional Westphalian model [13; 14; 15]. As new forms of nation-statehood emerge, the intersection of platforms and governance will play a critical role in shaping sovereignty, transparency, and techno-political futures [16]. The rise in decentralized digital citizenship regimes [11], facilitated by blockchain technologies, exemplifies the ongoing shift toward more fluid, decentralized forms of identity and community. These developments raise essential questions about the future of citizenship and the role of nation-states in an increasingly digital world. As digital platforms evolve, the concept of the state itself may need to be reimagined, with broad implications for global governance and the future of the international order including paradigmatic practices exacerbating the use of the Metaverse and ChatGPT, among other disruptive technologies [17]. Inspired by emerging trends in territorial engineering within Silicon Valley [18] and the concept of Network States [19], this article conducts a comparative analysis of three interrelated Web3 paradigms: Network States, Network Sovereignties, and Algorithmic Nations.