ABSTRACT
In connection with the phenomenon termed the “digital revolution,” more and more areas of human activity are now shifting to the sphere known as cyberspace. As a result, the question arises about the role of the state in this process, both in the context of ensuring security and also exerting some degree of control over the internet within its own borders, including political, economic, cultural and technological activities. The concept of digital sovereignty does not yet have an official definition, though it is an issue that is currently being discussed in many international forums (UN, OSCE, EU). In the European Union, digital sovereignty is understood in three dimensions. The first is the policy on personal data protection and non-personal data governance. The second dimension relates to providing the most essential sectors of the economy (such as finance, energy and transport) with the appropriate level of ICT security, while the third concerns the technological aspects of digital sovereignty – striving for the technology used in Europe to be a technology produced by European countries, or certified by them.
The aim of this chapter is to analyse the phenomenon of digital sovereignty and its three aspects: the data approach, the cybersecurity policy and the technological dimension of the concept. In the first part, the concept of digital sovereignty is analysed in the context of the development and evolution of state sovereignty. The second part examines issues related to the international discussion on the validity of international law standards in cyberspace, as well as internet governance and the so-called “Balkanisation” of the internet. Parts three, four and five look at the three dimensions of digital sovereignty in Europe: data, cybersecurity and technology.
