# Interoperability as Absorption **Domain:** Standards / Infrastructure / Sovereignty **Doc Type:** Concept Node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition **Interoperability as absorption occurs when compatibility with a dominant system becomes dependence on its categories, permissions, update channels, or governance rules, leaving no practical alternative outside it.** ## War With Empire Context [[wiki/War With Empire|War With Empire]] does not oppose interoperability. It asks when a shared standard stops functioning as a bridge and begins functioning as an enclosure. The transition appears when participation requires accepting externally authored ontology or evaluation, substitution becomes catastrophic, and exit ceases to be real. ## Key Insight **A bridge becomes absorption when every viable road is redesigned to end inside the same system.** ## See Also [[wiki/Exit-Capable Interoperability|Exit-Capable Interoperability]], [[wiki/Standards Stack|Standards Stack]], [[wiki/Absorptive Civilization|Absorptive Civilization]], [[wiki/Strategic Dependency|Strategic Dependency]]