The internet we know isn’t gone — it is being hidden under platform noise. And it seems like big platforms want to make us forget that this internet still exists. But while platforms rise and fall, the real internet is built on simple, open protocols like email, chat, and feeds — and they remain.
Terry Godier’s essay “The Boring Internet” is a reminder: the web’s heart beats in the quiet, reliable tools. No algorithms, no ads, no need for growth, no monetization, no corporations, but freedom to create, explore and connect.
As a lot of people, I had most of my code published on GitHub. During my #unplugTrump (reduce the amount of US services), I decided that I want to move my code somewhere else. Codeberg came totally handy and was recommended a lot.
In the context of the #DigitalIndependenceDay (https://di.day), I noticed discussions on whether Tool A or Service B is “sovereign enough.” But – the more I thought about it, the clearer it became: Digital sovereignty isn’t binary. What works (or is acceptable) for one person or organization might not fit another.
Over the past weeks, I’ve realized that these discussions often miss a key point: context. Not everyone aims for — or even needs — the same level of souvereignity. Some prioritize data privacy (Level 1), others focus on avoiding proprietary software (Level 6) or geopolitical risks (Level 10).
So, before are arguing about the ‘right’ level, maybe we should first clarify what the ‘right’ level is for each of us. For some a higher level is a must, for others it’s just optional. And well – it might be okay to disagree.
Below is a breakdown of 10 levels of digital sovereignty, from individual control to systemic independence. This isn’t meant to be a definitive guide — it is just my attempt to structure the problem. I also don’t claim it to be complete or universally applicable, but I found it intersting to think about the nuances. The layers are not always clearly separable and some companies & products can be found in multiple layers.
Levels of Sovereignity
The levels are structured from the most immediate and individual issues (data privacy, software choices) to systemic dependencies (infrastructure, hardware, geopolitics). It is a bottom-up approach to digital sovereignty, where early steps are more actionable for individuals / organizations, while later steps require larger-scale efforts or policy changes.
Level
Goal
Negative Examples
1
Avoid services that use data as currency.
Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, …), TikTok, …
2
Control over internal data usage.
Microsoft 365, Apple iCloud, GitHub Copilot, most Free Tier Services
3
Avoid dependence on tech giants.
Google (Search, Youtube, ..), Microsoft (Windows/Office), Apple Ecosystem, Amazon
4
Reduce risks from SaaS/niche providers.
Atlassian (Jira, Confluence), Slack, Google Analytics, Paypal, Adobe
5
Protection from government data access (e.g., CLOUD Act, FATCA, or other foreign laws).
The world is complicated. I like the #DIDcampaign – regaining your digital independence step by step. Like changing from X to Mastodon or from Chrome to another browser. For me, the next logical step was reconsidering my browser choice.
Firefox was the first choice, but then I wondered: why not Vivaldi? A Norwegian developed browser – supporting a european company. A post on Mastodon quickly shifted to a more fundamental aspect:
Vivaldi is built on Chromium, which is dominated by Google.
Firefox, while developed by the U.S.-based Mozilla Foundation, maintains its own browser engine – one of the last alternatives to Chromium’s dominance.
So, what matters more? Supporting a European company or preserving engine diversity? It’s not just about where the browser is developed, but also how diverse the browser landscape can remain …
(Maybe, if I find a way to sync the bookmarks, I could just use both?)
For years, I relied on Microsoft’s OneDrive — not for the Office 365 suite, but for its 1TB of cloud storage. It served me well for offsite backups and seamless syncing between my computers and phone. I even used the Personal Vault feature, though more out of curiosity than necessity. Later, I joined a friend’s family plan, making it even more cost-effective.
If you’ve followed my blog, youknow that I’m trying to get rid of BigTech services — without sacrificing convenience (too much). Over the year I’ve replaced quite some services, but what I underestimated a bit was OneDrive.
If you’ve ever wondered how to take control of your digital life without immediately diving into the deep end of server racks and command-line chaos, I want to recommend Laura Hargreaves’ latest post, “Self-Hosting for Everyone”.
As if we wouldn’t be talking about digital sovereignty enough … These incidents just show the dependency of large parts of the internet to just a small amount of companies. Not exactly what was intended when the internet was built.
Can we just count days until GCP follows? For Google, I hope that they won’t have an outage in the christmas shopping period.
Update Oct. 19th: heise online nailed it pretty well:
After a series of comments about why we find it stupid to rely on the cloud, we’ve now reached the point where we find it stupid to have to write a comment about it every week.
Update 23.06: The article Datenschutz: Wie viel EU steckt in DNS4EU? analyzes the technical setup. which unfortunately shows quite some US-corps involved. On the other hand, DNS4YOU does not aim to analyze the traffic.
