AlgoSov
Welcome to the European observatory on Algorithmic Sovereignty. This is a collective place of documentation gathering research, developments, events and projects related to the topic.
There is an urgent need for more awareness of decisions made by algorithms about the social, economic and political context in which we live.
Hidden algorithms are growing in power and importance. Their logic is often invisible, while their results are manifest.
To define the problem, the metaphor of a “Black Box Society” is apt to describe the role that unknown algorithms have taken in our contemporary and highly digitised world. With the AlgoSov project we are actively looking for solutions to this problem.
What is inscribed in algorithms? What are the consequences of their execution and what is the agency left for the living world? What’s the role of sovereignty considering the ethic of algorithms? Sovereignty relates to the way a community can influence an algorithm, appropriate it, distribute it, share it and create new ones.
Discussion group
To join our discussion group subscribe the AlgoSov mailinglist.
Projects

DECODE
Decentralised Data Ecosystem
Our development is guided by people’s concerns about the loss of control over their personal information on the internet. The ability to access, control and use personal data has become a means by which internet companies can drive profits. (H2020-ICT-2016-1 grant nr.732546)
VIRT-EU
Innovation for Responsible Technology
Interdisciplinary research for new knowledge and methods to overtake the unproved assumption according to which technological development leaves no room for ethical and moral reasoning. (H2020-ICT-2016-1 grant nr.732027)
DATACTIVE
Politics of big data for civil society
While massive data collections by governments and businesses constitute a challenge to civil rights, big data also offer new opportunities for collective action. This research investigates civil society’s engagement with massive data collection. (EU/ERC-2014-STG grant nr.639379)
DCENT
Technologies for 21st Century democracy
A Europe-wide project developing the next generation of open source, distributed, and privacy-aware tools for direct democracy and economic empowerment. (EU/FP7-ICT-2013 grant nr.610349)
Related press materials
Our project lead @francesca_bria spoke to @FT's @johnthornhillft about reclaiming digital sovereignty. Listen here: https://t.co/34MIqbygNo pic.twitter.com/vluOUTIjRD
— Decode Project (@decodeproject) October 25, 2017
as an anthropologist who works with cyberspace, I felt very happy (and welcomed) to read this interview!
— andressa (@andressanns) August 6, 2018
A short interview with Renata Avila on "digital colonialism" and resisting the "quasi-imperial power" of big tech: https://t.co/9YnUBV7Wno
— Eric Schmaltz (@eschmaltzzz) May 13, 2018
Honored to be featured in @Forbes Europe’s top 50 women in tech, and amongst top 4 Female Leaders Pioneering #Fintech and #Crypto https://t.co/F7c6B5OC0g @kittygknowles @decodeproject @dcentproject @BCN_digital pic.twitter.com/mYBbMGKizA
— Francesca Bria (@francesca_bria) October 8, 2018
Interesting interview with Francesca Bria, CTO of #Barcelona . where 70% of proposals now come directly from citizens through the use of free software https://t.co/gHTwyqMHiL #Decidim #Decode
— Kletskous (@Kletskous) July 6, 2018
#digitalidentity
— Jorge Salinas (@jsalinaswork) May 24, 2018
DECODE project @decodeproject
web, https://t.co/bruTfXnyxd
video interview with @francesca_bria https://t.co/Xy8tCQDubh https://t.co/chnCoX9CHs
The politics of technology, big data and code – an interview with Stefania Milan https://t.co/HYZXHjDZV2 pic.twitter.com/scQadbDfsZ
— ECREA Dig Culture (@DCCECREA) August 4, 2015
We can't be saying anything new about #intelbug #kpti #spectre #meltdown that wasn't already visible in the @shadowbrokerss leak a year ago. I tried to explain the impact in a simple way in an interview on RT, it was April 2017 https://t.co/cnuofPtvPU
— Jaromil (@jaromil) January 6, 2018
Playlist of video interviews
Tweet #algosov
AlgoSov summit #1