4.3.5 Data Sovereignty

Data sovereignty is a natural person's or corporate entity's capability of being entirely self-determined with regard to its data. The Reference Architecture Model presented in this document particularly addresses this capability, as it specifies requirements for secure data exchange and restricted data use in a trusted business ecosystem.

The International Data Spaces promotes interoperability between all participants based on the premise that full self-determination with regard to one's data goods is crucial in such a business ecosystem. Data exchange takes place by means of secured and encrypted data transfer including authorization and authentication. The Data Provider may attach metadata to the data transferred using the IDS Vocabulary. In doing so, the terms and conditions to ensure data sovereignty can be defined unambiguously (e.g., data usage, pricing information, payment entitlement, or time of validity). The International Data Spaces thereby supports the concrete implementation of applicable law, without predefining conditions from a business point of view, by providing a technical framework that can be customized to the needs of individual participants.