Data sovereignty means that data generated within a country’s borders is governed by that nation’s laws and regulatory frameworks; this ensures local control over data access, storage, and usage.

Wikipedia: Data sovereignty

Data sovereignty refers to the self-determination of individuals and organizations with regard to the use of their data. In contrast to data privacy as defined in the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which sees the citizen in a rather passive role to be protected against powers they cannot confront on an equal footing, data sovereignty aims at enabling “data richness” by clearly negotiated and strictly monitored data usage agreements.

Jarke, M., Otto, B., and Ram, S. (2019). Data Sovereignty and Data Space Ecosystems. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 61(5), pp. 549-550. DOI: 10.1007/s12599-019-00614-2

Data sovereignty is the ability of a natural or legal person to ensure exclusive self-determination regarding their data assets.

International Data Spaces Association (IDSA)

Data sovereignty is a key concern in modern distributed systems, especially when processing personal or sensitive information across international borders. It ensures that the data controller maintains self-determination over the data and adheres to the legal requirements of the relevant jurisdictions.

Key Aspects

  • Legal Jurisdiction: Data is subject to the legal protections (and requirements) of the country where it is stored or processed.
  • Self-Determination: The ability of an entity to maintain control over its own data.
  • Compliance: Meeting requirements of regulations like GDPR, CCPA, or regional data laws.

Further reading