Our digital identity and integrity have become as precious as our physical identity and integrity. This is true for “us” as individuals, as companies or organisations, or even as countries. Data and digital flows are the foundations of our social functioning and primary source of value in the global digital economy.

Still, a handful of Mega-Tech companies have been able to extract, monopolise and monetise our data over the last two decades. More than 90% of Western data is hosted in the US. Geopolitical actors use digital technology and data increasingly as tools of power. Legal initiatives such as the US Cloud Act or the Chinese Surveillance Legislation give their governments unlimited access to our data abroad. A cyber arms race is ongoing using a wide range of techniques, from blunt nation-state cyber-attacks to sophisticated social manipulation. In short, digitisation has made us as individuals, as businesses and as countries very dependent and vulnerable and hindered in capitalising on our own assets.

As a result, individuals, organisations and governments are re-evaluating their external exposure and launching digital sovereignty-related initiatives to maintain or acquire physical and digital control over their strategic assets, including data, algorithms, and critical software.

							“‘Sovereign” means more than just national or European, it means that we have regained control over our own destiny. It’s about elements such as transparency, being able to tell (customers and citizens) where the data is, how it is stored, what security policies surround it, where the value goes, who owns the solution, and how to split responsibilities between all parties involved.
						

							What steps, if any, should we, our companies or governments take to regain control and restore our digital sovereignty?
						

MEET THE SPEAKERS

CIONET Cookbook

The Annual Global Community Event

Join us on March 22nd at CIOFEST - our biggest Community Event of the year! We are bringing all CIONET countries and 1000+ Digital Leaders together to one glocal conference.

CIOFEST 2023 is divided into:

- an international part that you can follow at your local CIONET country venue or virtually

- a local part taking place face-to-face in each CIONET country

*This event is exclusive for CIONET Members

Venue per country