Digital sovereignty

Definition:

Digital sovereignty describes the ability of people, organizations and states to independently control their digital activities. This is particularly important for public administration, where the protection of sensitive data and control over digital infrastructures play a crucial role. Independence from external providers and technologies is of the utmost importance. The aim is to maintain control over digital resources, processes and decisions in order to ensure sovereignty and security.

At the state level, digital sovereignty encompasses key issues such as data protection, cybersecurity, control over hardware and software, and independence from foreign technologies. For public administrations, this means that digital infrastructures must be designed in such a way that the security of the country is guaranteed and dependence on external providers is minimized. In addition, it is crucial to develop your own digital solutions in order to maintain long-term control over all processes.

Digital sovereignty also plays an important role for companies and organizations. They must ensure that they maintain control over their digital systems, processes and data in order to remain competitive and independent. In public administration, this particularly concerns the protection of sensitive citizen data and ensuring that digital infrastructures are not influenced by foreign actors.

Individuals also focus on self-determination over their own digital activities. Data protection and the security of one's own data are essential to protect privacy and maintain digital sovereignty.

Overall, digital sovereignty for public administration, businesses and individuals means being less dependent on external actors and actively shaping control over the digital future.

Advantages:

• Increased control over data and technologies
• Protecting privacy and improving cybersecurity
• Independence from international IT providers and geopolitical risks
• Promoting innovation and customization

Application in OpenTalk:

OpenTalk supports digital sovereignty by enabling companies and public institutions to operate the platform on their own servers (“OnPrem”). By publishing the source code under the EUPL, users can use OpenTalk independently of commercial cloud providers and adapt it to their own requirements.