Imagine all your personal information, your job, your education, even the government itself, relies on services and apps outside your country - our data is all traveling and controlled by foreign companies like Google and Amazon.
Digital sovereignty It means giving back control to us:
Our data is stored in our country
Our digital decisions are controlled by us
Internet infrastructure and services can't be left in the hands of others.
Simply put: Digital Sovereignty = National independence within the digital world.
Why is digital sovereignty so important now?
National security:
Data and information has become a weapon, and if it's not in your hands, it can be threatened at any time.
privacy:
No foreign company has the right to collect our data and use it for advertising or other purposes without our knowledge.
Economy:
Why pay millions to overseas companies when we can develop local companies and create jobs?
Control content and policies:
When we rely on foreign platforms, they impose their rules and regulations on us, which are not always suitable for our culture or laws.
Countries that have implemented digital sovereignty and are working to develop it
🇪🇺 The European Union - the leader in regulating digital sovereignty
They launched the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that forced all companies to respect the privacy of European citizens.
They started a project GAIA-Xan alternative European cloud network to AWS and Google Cloud.
They are working to develop a "European Internet" that is relatively independent of US influence.
🇨🇳 China - Total Control
They have their own internet system (The Great Firewall).
They have local alternatives for all services: Baidu instead of Google, and WeChat instead of WhatsApp.
All data is under state control, and digital sovereignty is not only a priority, it's a necessity. Doctrine.
🇷🇺 Russia - Localized version of the Internet
Project Runet was developed to be able to disconnect itself from the global internet in times of emergency.
They have laws forcing companies to store citizens' data within Russia.
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia - Arab Leadership
Established the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA).
Launched a "government cloud" and local data centers.
It has a clear vision to own the cloud infrastructure and achieve "Saudi data sovereignty."
🇦🇪 UAE - Smart Investment in Digital Infrastructure
It has advanced data protection legislation.
Supported the establishment of massive data centers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The trend is to reduce reliance on global companies and promote homegrown solutions.
🇪🇬 Egypt - Steady First Steps
Passed the Personal Data Protection Law in 2020.
Works on government national data centers.
It has a plan to digitize and localize technology, especially in government services and education.
How do we develop digital sovereignty in our country?
We support local businesses that provides technology solutions.
We use open source software instead of what we can't control.
We build data centers within our own country.
We have laws governing the collection, storage and processing of data.
We invest in technology and cybersecurity education.
Bottom line
Digital sovereignty is not a luxury, nor is it just technical talk.
It is the key to our independence in the new era.
Just as we build a strong army and secure borders, we must also We build a "digital frontier" that protects our data, decides our own technological destiny, and preserves our identity and culture in a rapidly changing world.
