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For this first issue we’ve pulled together a few things happening in the wider world around digital sovereignty, tech dependency, and resilience. We have also included a small game from the TechFreedom universe, in case you fancy trying the risk lenses in a slightly unusual format.
There is a short piece that sets out why European policymakers are increasingly uneasy about depending so heavily on US‑based internet infrastructure and platforms. It is a good primer if you want to see how questions about dependency and control are moving from specialist circles into mainstream discussion.
Read the overview on European reliance on US internet technology.
Another article describes how members of the European Parliament have backed work to map critical technology dependencies and build more capacity within Europe for things like cloud and AI services. We like it because it joins the dots between procurement decisions, vendor concentration, and longer‑term strategic autonomy.
See how the European Parliament is approaching tech dependence.
A report from the Finnish Institute of International Affairs argues that states need “digital resilience” if they want to keep decision‑making space when digital infrastructure and services are concentrated in a few global companies. The lens is national and regional, but many of the ideas translate directly to the situations that co‑ops, charities, and other public‑interest organisations find themselves in.
Explore the report on autonomy and digital resilience.
There is also a short news piece where an EU commissioner talks about Europe needing to keep control over key technologies that underpin its economies, from cloud infrastructure to AI systems. We read this as another sign that questions about lock‑in and jurisdiction are now treated as economic and security issues, not just IT concerns.
Read the comments on Europe keeping control of key tech.
Stacktopolis is a small, tongue‑in‑cheek survival game where you act as CTO of a small charity and try to keep jurisdiction, continuity, and surveillance risks under control as your tech stack gets hit by one event after another. We built it from the TechFreedom risk framework and released it as open source, so you can both play it and look under the bonnet if you are curious about how it works. techfreedom
Play Stacktopolis from the TechFreedom website (scroll to “What does digital sovereignty feel like?”).
If these stories and resources resonate, TechFreedom might be a good next step. It is a three‑session, small‑group programme for people in co‑ops, charities, unions, and other social purpose organisations who want a calmer, more structured way to understand their tech stack and its risks. The pilot cohort runs later this month, and you can find the details and sign up on the TechFreedom site at https://techfreedom.eu.
We are planning future issues now, so if there is a particular angle you would like us to focus on, just hit reply and let us know!
Best,
Doug & Tom
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