The Illusion of Control #

We live in a world of digital convenience, but recent events have exposed the fragility of the infrastructure that underpins our online lives. The massive AWS outage that took down a significant portion of the internet was a stark reminder that we’ve entrusted our digital existence to a handful of centralized platforms. When they fail, we’re left powerless.

This dependence creates an illusion of control. We believe our data is safe, our conversations are private, and our digital lives are our own. But the reality is, we’re building our digital homes on rented land, and the landlord can change the terms at any moment.

The Coming Encryption Apocalypse #

The problem goes deeper than just service availability. The very foundation of our digital privacy – encryption – is facing an existential threat. Advances in quantum computing are accelerating at a pace that could render our current encryption standards obsolete.

The same encryption that protects your private messages on WhatsApp, your financial transactions, and your most sensitive data could one day be broken by a quantum computer. This isn’t science fiction; it’s a question of “when,” not “if.”

Software is Not Enough #

The solutions offered today are, at best, temporary fixes. VPNs, privacy-focused browsers, and even end-to-end encrypted messaging apps are all software-based solutions running on hardware and networks controlled by others. They are subject to the same vulnerabilities, backdoors, and policy changes as any other software.

As I’ve explored in my Digital Sovereignty Hardware Project, true digital autonomy can’t be achieved through software alone. We need to rethink the very infrastructure of the internet and build solutions that put individuals back in control at the most fundamental level: the hardware.

The Path to Digital Sovereignty #

This isn’t about abandoning the internet or rejecting technology. It’s about building a better, more resilient, and more equitable digital world. It’s about owning our data, controlling our digital identities, and having the freedom to communicate and transact without fear of surveillance or censorship.

The path to digital sovereignty is a long one, but it starts with a simple realization: we need to own our own digital infrastructure. The recent outages and the looming threat of quantum computing are a wake-up call. It’s time to start building a future where our digital lives are truly our own.