Strategies for Digital Sovereignty: European Alternatives to US Tech Services

Concerns about digital sovereignty and geopolitical shifts are driving individuals and organizations to reassess their reliance on US-centric technology services. The goal is often not complete independence, which can be challenging, but rather a strategic minimization of exposure and the implementation of risk diversification.

General Principles for Digital Sovereignty

Approaching this challenge as a form of risk diversification is crucial. Designing systems and workflows that are not locked into a single vendor or jurisdiction provides resilience. This means prioritizing solutions that allow for easy migration of data, applications, or services between different providers or geographical locations.

Key Areas and European Alternatives

• Email Services

  • Recommendation: European-based email providers are a popular choice. Proton Mail is frequently cited for its privacy focus and Swiss jurisdiction. Fastmail, while an Australian company, has primary servers located in the US, which might be a consideration for those prioritizing EU data residency.
  • Best Practice: Owning a custom domain for email addresses significantly eases the process of switching providers in the future, as only the backend server needs to change, not the address itself.

• Mobile Phones

  • Challenge: The mobile phone market is largely dominated by US (Apple, Google/Android) or Asian manufacturers.
  • Options: Fairphone offers an ethically-sourced, repairable option. Chinese brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Oppo provide powerful, budget-friendly alternatives that are not American, although users should consider the different data exposure implications compared to US brands.

• Operating Systems

  • Recommendation: Linux distributions are widely adopted as non-US alternatives, offering open-source flexibility and a strong community. While Linux's development involves global contributions, including significant corporate involvement, it is not controlled by a single US entity.

• Cloud and Hosting Providers

  • Shift: There's a growing movement towards adopting local European cloud providers. These often offer a more focused feature set and better support compared to hyperscalers, alongside adhering to EU data regulations.
  • Advanced Option: Self-hosting services like email, DNS, and specific applications can provide ultimate control over data and infrastructure, though it requires significant technical expertise.

• Social Networks

  • Transition: Decentralized and open-source social media platforms like Mastodon (part of the Fediverse) offer a viable path away from major US social media giants. Many Mastodon instances are hosted within the EU, supporting local data sovereignty efforts.

• Payments and Authentication

  • Payments: Exploring and integrating with local European payment processors can reduce reliance on global US-dominated systems like Stripe.
  • Authentication: European alternatives for user authentication, such as Hanko, are emerging. When considering these, it's important to verify their underlying infrastructure; some may still utilize US-based cloud services (e.g., AWS Frankfurt region) while working towards fully European data locations.

• Code Hosting

  • Alternatives: While GitHub is dominant, self-hosting Git repositories is a straightforward way to maintain full control over source code. Bitbucket, from the Australian company Atlassian (though also with US headquarters), presents another option.

• AI Services

  • Emerging Landscape: The AI field is rapidly evolving, and European alternatives are starting to appear. Exploring models and APIs from European companies, such as Mistral AI, can help reduce dependency on US-developed AI platforms.

Moving towards greater digital sovereignty is an ongoing, incremental process. While complete decoupling from global systems is challenging, adopting these strategies helps build more resilient and jurisdictionally diverse digital infrastructure.