If I’m not technologically sovereign, I’m not free and I’m not secure – says Krzysztof Dyki, CEO of ComCERT. Meanwhile, 92 percent of Western countries’ data is stored and processed in the U.S., and there is not a single company from Europe among the 20 most powerful “big tech” companies.
The centralized world of the global Internet, dominated by large technology companies, requires a discussion of the role of states and the concept of sovereignty. Experts and politicians took part in the conference “Digital Sovereignty – Utopia or Real Opportunity” organized on January 25 by the THINKTANK Center for Dialogue and Analysis in the PAP Press Center.
Experts admit that monitoring GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon) is not feasible. Facebook can, for example, block the account of a legitimate political party and Twitter the profile of a former president.
“The biggest challenge is that while legal systems, countries, even organizations have boundaries somewhere, technology no longer has those boundaries. And how to regulate technology from this perspective?” wondered Prof. Maciej Rogalski, professor at Łazarski University in Warsaw.
The digital world is an area of infrastructure and services that we are consumers of. According to participants in the debate, digital sovereignty and information security refer to three areas: infrastructure, end-user devices, and software providers – mainly global technology corporations. In each of these areas, it is important to have choices so as not to create a monopoly that limits growth opportunities.