What does digital sovereignty involve?
Digital sovereignty applies the principle of sovereignty to everything digital—IT and communication. It refers to how a country or organisation deals with the various issues of cyberspace such as handling users’ personal data, technological dependence, and keeping tabs on the use of telecommunications.
It encompasses two main dimensions:
- Being able to exercise sovereignty over your digital space which translates into the autonomy to asses, decide, and act in cyberspace and thus ultimately correlates to the principle of cyber defence.
- The ability to ensure or restore the sovereignty of France (or another country) with digital tools in order to monitor data, networks and all electronic communications.
What challenges does digital sovereignty pose?
While we generally associate the term “digital” with everything internet-based, it’s a broader concept encompassing all fields where digital and communication tools come into play.
This false assumption has drastic effects and create protection vulnerabilities in many areas such as the use and storage of personal user and company data, but also in the confidentiality of digital exchanges.
Digital sovereignty issues pose several challenges:
1. Political
For administrations and institutions, digital sovereignty represents a system that empowers the people to take an active part in protecting their personal data and private lives. It also serves to protect national infrastructures. Digital sovereignty has never been more vital for governments than it is now. In the same way as they are expected to ensure territorial integrity, they must also guarantee sovereignty in cyberspace to ensure their citizens’ privacy and personal data.
2. Environmental
The materiality of everything digital, gathering raw materials to produce devices, network infrastructure, management of data centres as well as issues of cybersecurity are integral to questions of digital sovereignty.
3. Strategic
France finds itself excessively dependant on technology and international platforms, notably those of digital giants from the USA and China, giving pause for thought when it comes to the protection of personal data, national security, and economic competitiveness. No less than 92% of Western data is hosted in the USA. A large number that necessitates great wariness when it comes to protecting our data and encourages us to look to French or at least European solutions such as Thalès, Stromshield, Atempo, Mailinblack, Safran, Tehtris, Harfanglab, Vade secure and Atos.
The Digital Service Act (DSA) is the official legislation on digital services introduced by the European Commission, which follows the simple and fundamental concept that what is illegal offline should also be illegal online.
The DSA has several aims:
⯈ Providing better protection for European internet users and their fundamental rights.
⯈ Helping small enterprises in the EU to develop.
⯈ Reinforcing democratic control and surveillance of very large platforms.
⯈ Mitigating systematic risks like information manipulation or misinformation.
4. Ethical
Upholding individuals’ rights to privacy when it comes to their bank details, health information, financial data, etc. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) covers processing personal data within the European Union and applies to all companies collecting, storing, or using personal data from residents of the EU.
5. Data confidentiality
According to Ifop, in 2021, 69% of residents of France were concerned about the use of their personal data and 66% were ready to stop using digital services. Many companies, however, continue to use services based in the USA despite the Cloud Act. In other words, when we use software from the USA, the American government can exploit user data in their own interest.
6. Economic
Certain companies base their business model on using and selling personal data, making it necessary to regulate their activity to prevent fraudulent processing.
Moreover, according to the European Commission, GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft) only pays an average of 9% tax on earnings compared to 23% for European companies. French companies’ investments in access to these services therefore has very little benefit for the French or European economy.
Digital sovereignty is a major challenge that requires a sweeping and proactive approach. Governments, organisations, and individuals need to work together to create a strong force that develops local tech solutions, fosters innovation and research, establishes appropriate regulations and encourages collaboration within the EU.
Our Bechtle security teams and experts are at your disposal for any requests or advice you might need or to support you in your cybersecurity project. Contact us now or visit our website.