Digital sovereignty may sound like a buzzword, but it’s really about something simple: control over our own digital futures.
For Indigenous communities, this means making sure our data, stories, and innovations aren’t just used by others—but are protected, guided, and shared on our own terms.
What Is Digital Sovereignty?
At its core, digital sovereignty is the right of Indigenous peoples to shape how technology is built, accessed, and used in our communities. It’s about deciding what gets digitized, how our data is stored, and who profits from our stories, knowledge, and cultural presence.
Think of it as an extension of sovereignty itself. Just like nations and tribes govern land, resources, and culture, digital sovereignty is about governing our digital lives.
Why It Matters
Technology isn’t neutral—it comes with power. And when Indigenous peoples are left out of building that tech, the risks are huge:
- Cultural exploitation. Sacred knowledge or images taken from online archives and reused without permission.
- Data misuse. Information about our health, land, or communities sold or mined without consent.
- Erasure. Algorithms and platforms that don’t even recognize Native voices, faces, or names.
On the flip side, practicing digital sovereignty allows us to:
- Protect and share knowledge in culturally respectful ways.
- Build stronger digital economies owned by Native people.
- Ensure our voices, languages, and stories are part of the digital future.
Three Ways Communities Can Practice Digital Sovereignty
- Own Your Data. Ask: Who controls the platforms we use? Push for tribal and community data governance so information isn’t in the hands of outsiders.
- Support Native Creators. Follow, fund, and amplify Indigenous developers, artists, and storytellers shaping tech from within.
- Educate and Empower. Bring digital literacy and coding opportunities into schools and community centers so the next generation can build, not just consume.
A Living Guide
Digital sovereignty isn’t a one-time checklist—it’s a movement. As technology changes, so do the ways we protect and strengthen our communities.
At the Digital Sovereignty Project, we’re committed to creating resources, training, and opportunities so Native peoples can lead in this space—not just participate.
Because the future of tech won’t be just about faster apps or smarter AI. It will be about who decides what those tools do—and for Indigenous peoples, the answer has to be: us.