discusses how the massification of the Internet has exposed emerging democracies' high-tech vulnerabilities to cyber-attacks and questions why states have decided to introduce policies and legislation facilitating the militarization of cyberspace. Carlos Solar offers a comparative analysis using the cases of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela to help navigate the changing security landscape and the growing risks found in the digital domain. His analysis includes a review of civilian and military preparedness emphasizing the ongoing alliances with the world's superpowers to finally debate what are the side effects for peace and development in the Americas from the current cybersecurity rivalry between the United States and China. Providing a much-needed account of state-technology affairs in the global south challenges scholars and policymakers to rethink the protection of cyberspace to avoid unnecessarily sacrificing rights and freedoms in the name of national security.