What Digital Sovereignty Means for Developers - Julien Blanchez

To protect its sovereign data, Ukraine had to move it out of the country. Discover what digital sovereignty really means for developers today.

#1about 4 minutes

Understanding the three pillars of digital sovereignty

Digital sovereignty is defined not just by data residency but by data control, operational independence, and technical independence from foreign providers.

#2about 5 minutes

How US tech companies navigate European regulations

US companies address European sovereignty by complying with laws like GDPR, navigating regulatory uncertainty, and building trust by delegating operational controls to local partners.

#3about 5 minutes

Balancing sovereignty controls with cost and convenience

Customers must weigh the desire for maximum control against the increased cost and complexity of options like private cloud or external key management.

#4about 4 minutes

The long-term risks of technological skepticism for Europe

An overly skeptical approach to technology adoption can create lasting infrastructure limitations that hinder the economic welfare of future generations.

#5about 4 minutes

Planning for disaster without stifling innovation

While planning for "kill switch" scenarios is a necessary part of disaster recovery, basing an entire digital transformation strategy on it leads to paranoia and inaction.

#6about 6 minutes

Why collaboration is superior to technological isolation

The "sovereign toaster" project illustrates that complete technological isolation is impractical and costly, highlighting the need for unifying forces and global collaboration.

#7about 5 minutes

How sovereignty demands are impacting tech adoption

Sovereignty concerns create short-term slowdowns, dividing organizations into two camps: those who use new controls to accelerate and those who use uncertainty as a reason to delay.

#8about 11 minutes

Protecting individual sovereignty in the age of AI

The rapid, marketing-driven push of AI raises concerns about user choice and data transparency, requiring a healthy public debate to ensure individual control is maintained.

#9about 3 minutes

A call to action for developers on digital sovereignty

Developers are encouraged to experiment with new sovereignty tools, form their own informed opinions, and share their findings to help the community navigate these complex issues.