Written by The member organisations of the Data Sovereignty Now coalition have given their input for the Communication “2030 Digital Compass: the European way for the Digital Decade” (Digital Compass Communication) this week. As part of our fundamental human rights, we believe that data sovereignty deserves strong consideration in all assessment of the targets and digital policy. Therefore, data sovereignty should also apply to the four pillars of the EU Digital Compass Communication.
With the Digital Compass Communication, the European Commission lays out its vision for 2030 to empower citizens and businesses through the digital transition. The Union’s approach to the digital transformation of society and the economy should encompass digital sovereignty, inclusion, equality, sustainability, resilience, security, improving quality of life, respect of citizens’ rights and aspirations, and should contribute to a dynamic, resource-efficient and fair economy and society in the Union.
It sets out digital ambitions for the next decade in the form of clear, concrete targets. The Digital Compass Communication uses the four points of the compass to identify the main goals to be achieved over the next decade:
- A digitally skilled population and highly skilled digital professionals
- Secure, efficient and sustainable digital infrastructures
- Digital transformation of businesses
- Digitalisation of public services
To contribute to the acceleration and success of the EU Digital Compass Communication, we urge that data sovereignty needs to be included as a horizontal value spanning all four dimensions of the EU Digital Compass Communication.
Data sovereignty expresses an organisation’s or individual’s self-determination regarding their data. It is the capability of an organisation or an individual to have control over their respective business data or personal data. This entails that data subjects should be able to know which party holds their data, under what conditions (purpose, duration, reward) and where. In addition to knowledge and controlling the data rights, data subjects should be able to re-use their data elsewhere.
Read the full contribution here.