What is digital sovereignty, and why does this issue concern me?

A company may change its prices, terms of use or technical standards. A foreign service – such as a computer programme or a smartphone app – may also be restricted or discontinued for certain users or in certain regions for political reasons – and this happens regularly. For example, the US government has, on several occasions, banned the use of US software in other countries or drastically increased the costs of using it in order to exert political pressure. If a service you’ve been using for years suddenly starts charging a fee or changes its rules, there’s little you can do about it. The best way to protect yourself is to consider alternative apps or programmes right from the start.

When a small number of companies dominate key markets, it becomes more difficult for European suppliers to develop competitive alternatives. As a result, political or economic conflicts outside Germany can also have tangible economic consequences here: supply bottlenecks lead to production delays, higher prices and, in some cases, job losses. However, for there to be a greater focus on the development of German or European products – particularly software – there must also be sufficient demand – and that’s where you come in: If you’re willing to use products that may be a little unfamiliar or sometimes come at a cost, but which haven’t been produced by large corporations, then you’re not only strengthening your own digital sovereignty, but also that of society as a whole.

When sensitive data is processed by private companies, you need to ask yourself who actually has access to it and under what legal framework the data is being processed. In the US, for example, data protection laws are not as strict as they are here. Furthermore, the US government has the means to access data on a wide scale: The US CLOUD Act allows US authorities, under certain conditions, to access data held by US companies – even if it is stored on German servers. Digital sovereignty means, amongst other things, that you exercise your right to informational self-determination and, to a large extent, decide for yourself who is allowed to access your data.

Once people have got used to a particular service, they usually do not switch to other services unless they absolutely have to. Data, contacts or purchased content are often tied to that service, and switching usually involves technical hurdles as well as a significant time commitment. Corporations benefit from this loyalty: Experts refer to this as ‘vendor lock-in’. This strong dependence is particularly problematic when public authorities rely on foreign cloud, software or communications services. This is because, if these services are discontinued or restricted for Germany, a swift switch to other systems is usually out of the question. In the worst-case scenario, entire sections of critical infrastructure could collapse. ^[1] So far, many German public authorities are still finding it difficult to turn their backs on US providers, but individual federal states, such as Schleswig-Holstein, are already working to make their administration less dependent. ^[2] In your private life, you are personally responsible for your important records; you should therefore always store your most important documents in several places to remain capable of acting and maintain digital sovereignty.

When using digital services, you should always be aware of what data they ask you to provide and to whom it is passed on. Using secure passwords and login methods is very important in this regard. Overall, it’s always worth looking for alternatives that don’t collect large amounts of data in the first place. Digital sovereignty means not only seeing through the tricks of criminals, but also avoiding data collectors.

Through their algorithms, major platforms play a key role in determining what information people see. Those who control these platforms wield considerable social power – for example, over the visibility of political content or the spread of disinformation. The short-form messaging service X (formerly Twitter) has also seen millions of users and organisations leave since 2022 because disinformation and far-right content were increasingly being deliberately disseminated there. Digital sovereignty means not only recognising manipulation through algorithms, but also consciously seeking out alternatives.