arXiv:2608.19216 Defines Four-Layer Access Typology for Bounded Sovereignty

The paper introduces bounded sovereignty as partial contractual and technical access across data, model, infrastructure, and interaction layers when deployers use frontier models only via APIs. It formalizes the sovereignty discount cost as the incremental portion of control tax paid through contracts, audits, or scope limits instead of direct instrumentation. The four-layer typology and protocol-by-layer matrix map which control methods remain executable under each access constraint.

Synthetic experiments across 1.35 million cases demonstrate that full interaction logs improve diagnosis accuracy while pre-execution gateways enable intervention; trace access and version control strengthen post-incident attribution. Scope restriction improves safety metrics at the expense of task performance. The national-payments-infrastructure scenario illustrates how missing infrastructure-layer access forces reliance on vendor assurance and residual-risk pricing.

Control protocols that assume weight or trace ownership will require explicit access statements before deployment in regulated settings. The construct-validity design leaves real-world payment-system validation for later work.

Regulators and API users can now price oversight contracts against documented access shortfalls rather than generic safety claims.