Data sovereignty is one aspect of digital sovereignty.

Data sovereignty formulates what needs to be done in connection with data in order for the state to be or become sovereign. The legal anchor concept on which the state's efforts are based is called control. It is not only a question of whether we can prohibit others from using our data, but also whether data can be used in a self-determined way. This also raises the question of which community should be allowed to exercise control over which aspects and with which instruments in a highly networked world.

Based on its research, the Swiss Data Alliance has determined that the debate must first solve the task of international competence delimitation and then answer how the state should proceed within the framework of its international competences in order to enforce its design goals (positively formulated goal expectation) on the one hand and to delimit itself against interventions by other actors (negatively formulated goal expectation) on the other. These three requirements for the discussion lead to the three categories of thought that will help to structure the discussion.