Who's in Control? Security and Sovereignty in the Digital Economy

Control is becoming one of the defining questions of the digital economy. Who controls our data, infrastructure, identities and communications? Where do critical technological dependencies lie? And do the safeguards designed to provide control still work when technologies, threats and business models are evolving so quickly?

These questions sit at the intersection of cybersecurity and digital sovereignty. They also show why neither can be addressed through technology alone. Effective control depends on people and processes, technical standards, visibility into data and infrastructure, clear responsibilities and, increasingly, the ability to make meaningful choices between technologies and providers.

When trust can no longer be taken at face value

The nine contributions in the latest issue of dotmagazine examine these challenges across different layers of the Internet.

At the human layer, Dr. Gundula Zerbes of SoSafe examines how AI-powered phishing and deepfakes are eroding familiar signals of authenticity. As malicious content becomes more convincing, verification and resilient processes become increasingly important.

Andrea Pfundmeier of Dropbox approaches security from another angle, showing why controls that create excessive friction can encourage workarounds. Her contribution makes the case that security has to function within the way people actually work.

Making trust technically verifiable

Trust must also be technically verifiable. Sebastian Kluth of eco explores DKIM2, which is designed to make legitimate changes to forwarded emails traceable while preserving a verifiable chain of integrity.

Daniel Strauß of InterNexum focuses on another fundamental Internet asset: the domain. His contribution illustrates why domain security ultimately involves ownership, accountability and governance.

Visibility across data and infrastructure

Visibility is equally important when it comes to data and infrastructure. Eric Clausing from AV-TEST explains what technical app privacy testing can reveal when actual data flows are compared with what privacy policies promise.

At the infrastructure layer, Cindy Ryborz of Corning Optical Communications examines fiber TAPs and the network visibility needed to support resilient data centre operations.

Digital sovereignty as a practical capability

Yet control over individual systems is only one part of the wider sovereignty debate. Tim Berghoff of G DATA examines digital sovereignty as a gradual process of understanding and reducing dependencies rather than pursuing absolute technological independence.

Sönke Liebau of Stackable similarly considers how organisations can build sovereignty step by step, with portability, open standards and the ability to change providers playing central roles.

From organisational control to European ecosystems

Finally, Emma Wehrwein of FACIS takes the discussion beyond individual organisations to Europe's wider digital ecosystem. Her contribution explores how digital ambition can become operational reality through federation, interoperability, shared governance and models such as Cloud Roaming.

What meaningful control looks like

Taken together, these perspectives point to a broader understanding of security and digital sovereignty. Stronger barriers and additional controls remain part of the picture, but meaningful control also requires visibility: knowing where data flows, where responsibilities lie, which dependencies exist and what alternatives are available.

For organisations navigating increasingly interconnected digital environments, the strategic question is therefore not simply whether they have control mechanisms in place. It is whether those mechanisms provide the transparency, resilience and freedom of choice needed to remain in control as technology evolves.