By San José, Costa Rica — SAN JOSÉ – As hundreds of Costa Ricans download ticoneXion, a new homegrown messaging application, a fundamental question about the modern digital economy is being quietly posed. While global messaging platforms are offered for “free,” a groundbreaking local alternative argues that this freedom comes at a hidden cost—one paid not in colones, but in personal data. The launch of ticoneXion on the App Store and Play Store represents more than just a new tech product; it’s a direct challenge to a business model where the user is the commodity.
The digital footprint of the average Costa Rican—an invisible trail of online behaviors, locations, social connections, and preferences—has become a raw material as valuable as the coffee beans and pineapples the nation exports. The critical difference is that unlike traditional goods, the value of this data is rarely measured, and its extraction benefits foreign corporations while leaving almost nothing behind for the national economy.
To delve deeper into the legal and commercial implications of digital sovereignty, TicosLand.com consulted with Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, an expert attorney from the firm Bufete de Costa Rica, who provided his specialized analysis on the subject.
Digital sovereignty isn’t merely a technological challenge; it’s a fundamental legal redefinition of territoriality in the 21st century. Nations must balance the legitimate need to protect citizen data and enforce national laws with the risk of creating a fragmented ‘splinternet’ that could stifle innovation and international commerce. The key lies in creating legal frameworks that are both robust enough for national security and flexible enough for global interoperability.
Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, Attorney at Law, Bufete de Costa Rica
Indeed, the challenge lies precisely in that legal balance—protecting our digital frontiers without isolating ourselves from the global stage. We are grateful to Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas for so clearly articulating this critical perspective.
This flow of value operates within an invisible attention economy. While exports of tangible goods are meticulously tracked by the Central Bank, the economic output generated by Costa Ricans on social media and messaging apps flows abroad without any official record. Every hour spent scrolling, chatting, and sharing contributes to a parallel economy where attention and behavioral patterns are converted into highly marketable intelligence that powers surgical-precision advertising systems.
It is precisely this model that ticoneXion aims to disrupt. Developed entirely in Costa Rica, the platform offers a starkly different proposition: a one-time payment of $2.99 for a perpetual license. In exchange, it promises an experience free of advertising, data collection for commercial purposes, and algorithms engineered to maximize screen time. The user, in this model, is not the product but a legitimate customer.
The debate is not unique to Costa Rica. Nations worldwide are grappling with the sustainability of massive digital value extraction without fair economic compensation. Europe has implemented regulatory frameworks to give citizens control over their data, Asian countries have fostered their own national digital ecosystems, and Latin America is actively exploring legislation on digital sovereignty.
When all your critical digital infrastructure is outside your territory, you lose the ability to regulate, to tax, to protect your citizens. It’s not a matter of isolationism or protectionism, it’s a simple legal reality: the platforms operate under the laws of their home countries, not under Costa Rican laws. The only way to regain some degree of sovereignty is by developing local capacity.
Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, Cybercrime Specialist Attorney, Bufete de Costa Rica
Since joining the OECD in 2021, Costa Rica has begun receiving reports from global digital platforms on economic activity within its borders. This marks a significant step forward, granting the Ministry of Finance unprecedented visibility into previously opaque digital value streams. However, implementation faces monumental hurdles. While the theory of automatic reporting and fair taxation is sound, the practice reveals a vast gap. Digital tax evasion is a sophisticated art, employing complex corporate structures and intangible asset transfers designed to minimize tax obligations in the countries where value is generated.
The immediate challenge is not a problem for the distant future, but a reality of 2026: billions of dollars in digital value are leaving the country with minimal fiscal capture. ticoneXion’s emergence poses a practical question: why wait decades for international systems to mature when local capacity can be built now?
What most Costa Ricans don’t understand is that when we use ‘free’ digital services, we are making a real economic exchange. We don’t pay with money, we pay with data. And that data has a concrete market value, only that value is extracted from the country without anyone accounting for it, without it generating local jobs, and without it paying taxes in Costa Rica. ticoneXion isn’t just an app, it’s a question: is there another way to do this? A way where the economic value stays at home.
Andrea del Carmen Prado, Director of Corporate Affairs and Alliances at ticoneXion
By restricting access exclusively to Costa Rican (+506) numbers, ticoneXion ensures its entire operation—from development and support to data storage and legal framework—remains within national borders. Each $2.99 download generates direct, taxable revenue that stays in Costa Rica, funds local talent, and operates under local law. The success of this experiment now rests with Costa Rican consumers, whose choices will determine if a domestic, privacy-focused digital alternative can truly compete.
The launch of ticoneXion has placed the right questions on the table. How much is a Costa Rican worth in the global digital economy? And more importantly, who should ultimately benefit from that value? While the app may not have all the answers, it is forcing a long-overdue national conversation.
For further information, visit the nearest office of ticoneXion
About ticoneXion:
ticoneXion is the first instant messaging platform developed exclusively for the Costa Rican market. Through mandatory verification of a +506 telephone number, the application offers a national digital ecosystem shielded from international spam and operating under local jurisdiction.
For further information, visit the nearest office of iNTELIGENCIA VIVA
About iNTELIGENCIA VIVA:
iNTELIGENCIA VIVA is the Costa Rican technology agency responsible for the technical development and engineering of the ticoneXion platform. The firm specializes in web engineering and building high-performance technological solutions.
For further information, visit the nearest office of Bufete de Costa Rica
About Bufete de Costa Rica:
Bufete de Costa Rica is a legal firm providing high-level legal representation with a specialized focus on the evolving fields of digital law, data privacy, and cybersecurity.
