RE: https://mas.to/@Techaltar/115694998710882952
The US’s geopolitical maneuvers—real or perceived—remind us that sovereignty isn’t a gift; it’s a practice.
If tech stacks can be weaponized or alliances destabilized, the question isn’t whether we’ll take sovereignty seriously, but who gets to define it.
@Techaltar post hits the nerve: states guard borders and currencies, yet outsource the foundations of modern life—software, hardware, and data—to a handful of corporate monopolies. That’s not just technical risk; it’s political dependence.
Sovereignty today isn’t about flags or treaties. It’s control over protocols, algorithms, and the tools that shape how societies think and act. FLOSS and open hardware aren’t ideological luxuries—they’re the only credible path to digital self-determination.
Relying on closed, proprietary stacks means sovereignty on lease. When platforms can silence nations, throttle access, or hide backdoors, sovereignty becomes a slogan, not a system.
Institutions rarely lead change; they react when crises force the issue. Real transformation starts bottom-up—from a culture that values curiosity over convenience, and commons over consumption.
So what does it mean to take sovereignty seriously?
1. Treat open technology as public infrastructure.
Fund FLOSS and open hardware like we fund roads and clinics—stable, public investment. Tools like open-source procurement mandates, R&D tax credits, and redirecting portions of defense or digital transition budgets can anchor this shift.
But funding is not ownership: transparency laws and community-led governance must ensure open projects don’t become state surveillance tools.
2. Make tech literacy a civic right.
Sovereignty requires a public that understands the tools it depends on—not just code, but critical thinking about systems, incentives, and control. Tech education should be public, accessible, and lifelong.
3. Build alternatives, not only critiques.
The Fediverse, RISC-V, Framework, and Fairphone aren’t fringe—they prove ethical, functional alternatives exist. The goal isn’t purity; it’s adoption. Use and fund the systems you want to survive.
4. Recognize that openness ≠ isolation.
Open-source is interdependence under shared, auditable terms. Supporting open-source hubs in the Global South and funding translation, localization, and inclusive participation ensures sovereignty isn’t just for wealthy nations.
Regulation like the GDPR is a start, but true sovereignty means owning the stack, not patching around its edges.
The US’s geopolitical games may hasten this reckoning, but waiting guarantees dependency. Treat open-source as critical infrastructure now—not for ideology’s sake, but survival’s.
Because digital sovereignty isn’t a speech or a policy.
It’s something we build, line by line, together.
#TechSovereignty #DigitalSelfDetermination #FOSS #PublicInfrastructure #Fediverse #RightToRepair #SurveillanceCapitalism #BuildTheAlternative #FundTheCommons
Fairphoners GRENOBLE 🇫🇷
