The Digital Governance Standards Institute (DGSI) has announced the release of the second edition of its national standard of Canada titled “CAN/DGSI 100-8: Data Governance – Part 8: Framework for Digital Sovereignty.”
According to DGSI, the revised edition of the national standard specifically provides the following:
- a new digital sovereignty assessment framework
- expanded guidance for emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and digital platforms
- updated requirements for jurisdictional risk management, third-party governance, and critical digital asset protection
In its news release, DGSI explained that the revamped framework aims to help organizations review and improve their digital sovereignty posture and respond to shifting risks across the jurisdictional, legal, and technological realms.
DGSI noted that the second edition offers a structured approach for entities to assess how they govern and control digital infrastructure, data, and technologies and keep them safe from jurisdictional risks.
DGSI added that the revised standard differentiates national sovereignty from organizational sovereignty so that organizations can comprehend and manage legal, operational, and supply chain challenges while effectively governing their digital assets.
Second edition’s development
DGSI shared that the members of its Technical Committee 1 on Data Governance – as well as experts from industry, government, academia, and civil society – worked together on updating the standard, while considering the current best practices and the changing needs of the country’s organizations.
“The digital realm is an area where Canada’s sovereignty is weakest; we are dominated by foreign hyperscalers, and we assert very little Canadian governance,” said Vass Bednar, managing director of the Canadian Shield Institute, in DGSI’s news release.
DGSI noted the importance of maintaining governance, control, and accountability over digital infrastructure and data as organizations increasingly depend on cloud services, AI, digital platforms, and international technology providers.
“Developing and adopting Canadian standards in a thoughtful and strategic way is a key avenue for us to change our terms of technological engagement,” Bednar said.
In its news release, DGSI thanked all the stakeholders who contributed to the development of the second edition.