The digital revolution challenges the sovereignty of states in Europe because it has given rise, outside the EU, to private giants that have become more powerful than states and exposed weaknesses in cyberspace governance.
The digital revolution has brought about private giants that emerged outside the EU and have become more powerful than states, and has exposed vulnerabilities in cyberspace governance. This has thus challenged state sovereignty in Europe. Dr. Adam Ouorou offers expert insights into the research challenges and implications of digital sovereignty…
What is digital sovereignty ?
I view digital sovereignty as an extension of state sovereignty into the digital realm. State sovereignty can be defined as the authority exercised over a geographical area and its inhabitants by an independent state that is free to self-determine. The issue of digital sovereignty has emerged with the development of digital technologies and the companies that control them, on which our societies have become increasingly dependent.
Why is digital sovereignty a concern for states?
Digital sovereignty has become a pressing issue for states because traditional sovereignty mechanisms are now deeply intertwined with digital technologies, which challenge states' ability to exercise control within their own borders. The global and borderless nature of cyberspace means that malicious attacks on digital infrastructure can have profound economic and societal consequences. Recent incidents—such as the espionage of European leaders by purportedly friendly nations and contentious debates over 5G technology providers—have intensified concerns about losing national autonomy and heightened distrust among states.
Furthermore, as technology increasingly connects people and objects, governments and certain companies gain enhanced surveillance capabilities, which can infringe on personal freedoms and undermine individual sovereignty.
How can European states ensure their digital sovereignty and protect fundamental rights?
The appropriate scale to address digital sovereignty is Europe, as no single European state can effectively manage the existing ecosystem alone. Europe recognizes that regulation plays a crucial role in safeguarding digital sovereignty, provided it is well-designed. It is essential to establish clear rules for companies, and reduce technological, health, and industrial dependencies—a lesson underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. However, sovereignty should not be equated with isolationism or a "sovereignist" ideology. Moreover, implementing regulations without the means to enforce them effectively is futile.
What role can an operator like Orange play in digital sovereignty? What are its limitations?
As a leading operator in Europe and the MEA region, Orange connects millions of people every day and assists governments with their digital transformation. Operating with a strong ethical foundation, Orange is committed to advancing digital sovereignty by providing solutions that uphold European values and fundamental rights. Orange Innovation’s research teams have developed the necessary conditions and tools for the company to assert digital sovereignty and have pinpointed the critical research challenges associated with this endeavor.
However, achieving true digital sovereignty requires more than just corporate efforts; it demands robust political, industrial, and legal frameworks. This necessitates substantial support from European institutions to create and enforce effective regulatory measures that are compatible with modern practices. Therefore, Orange actively participates in European standardization bodies, such as ENISA, ETSI, ECSO, GSMA, and 3GPP1, to guide and inform on key issues related to digital sovereignty.
On which research topics essential for achieving autonomy is Orange focusing?
Orange is dedicated to mastering the entire digital ecosystem to ensure autonomy in several critical domains
- Protection and resilience of physical assets: This encompasses safeguarding network infrastructures and data centers. While Orange does not manufacture its own equipment, it differentiates between critical and non-critical assets, implementing measures to make unauthorized access to personal and operational data technically impossible.
- Complete control over software: With the increasing softwarization of networks, it is crucial to ensure that software does not contain hidden functions (backdoors) that could enable espionage or remote control of communications.
- Monitoring of telecom network equipment: As Europe can no longer produce its own telecom network equipment, it is essential to ensure these devices operate strictly within their designated roles.
- Enhanced trust management: The softwarization of networks introduces new requirements and constraints, necessitating advanced trust management strategies.
- Access to services (identity, authentication): Tech giants have leveraged their technological advancements to assume roles traditionally reserved for states, such as identity and currency management. Despite this, they have not succeeded in becoming providers of digital identity. To prevent private solutions from becoming the standard, France (with initiatives like France Connect and ALICEM) and Europe (with eIDAS) have developed state responses. In addition to these public initiatives, Orange is developing user-centric sovereign identity solutions based on cryptography and biometrics to address the diverse range of use cases.
What are the main challenges pertaining to data?
The protection of citizens' data, both within and outside European territory, is a fundamental right guaranteed by the EU (Article 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU). Ensuring comprehensive control over data—from physical and network layers to application layers—requires virtuous and ethical practices.
The storage of data is crucial. European control over their data is central to digital sovereignty. However, the GDPR alone is insufficient to prevent the loss of control to predominantly American companies. We must develop technical means to ensure data is not compromised and create user-friendly solutions that are accessible to a large number of users.
Moreover, managing sensitive data involves mastering encryption technologies for communications and cloud services, as there is always a risk of data retrieval by hosting providers. Orange is a founding member of the GAIA-X initiative, which aims to establish a secure European cloud for data sharing, ensuring control remains with data owners. We place significant importance on quantum computing because current encryption methods could become obsolete if quantum computers emerge. There is a threat known as "store today and attack later," where organizations could capture and store communications now, with the intent to decrypt them once quantum computing becomes available. To counter this threat, we have preemptively developed data protection solutions that can be activated as needed.
What role should individual sovereignty play in addressing these issues?
The digital revolution is blurring the lines between real life and digital life. Through their choices of digital tools, individuals shape the model of society in which we live. Often, out of convenience or laziness, they become enslaved to digital services, fully aware that their data is being exploited. Personally, I have not used Google’s search engine for 15 years! Gradually, citizens are losing their free will, as they are surrounded and influenced, as demonstrated by the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018. When those who should exercise their right to vote are no longer free to make conscious choices, democracy itself is at risk.
The defense of Europe's digital sovereignty does not rest solely on states and corporations. Individuals also have a crucial role to play. Orange places individuals and their digital empowerment at the core of its mission. Thus, it is vital to explore the concept of individual sovereignty by addressing the following questions: What means, forms of education, or changes are necessary for citizens to embrace responsible and ethical digital usage that respects individual rights? How do mechanisms of disinformation work? How can we better understand the impact of social media?
Individual sovereignty is not just a technical issue; it is also a social one. While technical challenges are significant, they are not the hardest to overcome. Raising awareness among citizens, public and private organizations, and aligning with European industrial policy and regulation are equally complex. Business and cost issues must not be ignored: promoting sovereignty may not yield direct profits but requires substantial investments. Without this, Europe risks realizing the consequences of neglecting digital sovereignty only when a significant problem arises, much like the belated recognition of security issues.
