The Digital Governance Council (DGC) announces the prelaunch of Sovereign Ready, a new validation and verification program based on the final draft of the CAN/DGSI 100-8, Framework for Digital Sovereignty. The program provides a structured process for organizations to undergo independent validation and verification of their governance practices against the draft framework, ahead of its formal publication.

“In an era when every byte can cross borders, sovereignty is about more than geography—it’s about governance,” said Keith Jansa, Chief Executive Officer of the Digital Governance Council. “Sovereign Ready gives Canadian organizations a way to prove they are in control of their digital infrastructure, their data and their decisions.”

The CAN/DGSI 100-8 Framework for Digital Sovereignty, developed by the Digital Governance Standards Institute (DGSI), an independent division of DGC, outlines a governance-based approach to managing data, infrastructure and relationships in ways that maintain transparency, accountability and control. The framework focuses on data, operational and technological sovereignty, supply-chain assurance and governance maturity. While still in its final draft stage, the framework offers a mature basis for pilot-level validation and verification activities.

This framework outlines minimum requirements and establishes a structured approach to help organizations protect, manage and assess their ability to control and govern their digital infrastructure, data and technologies.

The framework’s draft structure supports validation and verification of organizational practices and claims across four key domains of digital sovereignty:

• Data sovereignty reviews focus on how organizations govern the location, access, and classification of data, as well as the extent to which critical information remains under domestic control. Validation in this area confirms whether data handling practices align with jurisdictional obligations and internal governance policies.
• Operational sovereignty examines how administrative control, incident response and decision-making are maintained within the organization. Verification assesses whether these operational functions remain under the organization’s direct authority or are dependent on foreign entities and external service providers.
• Technological sovereignty assesses the degree of independence within an organization’s digital infrastructure and supply chain. Verification considers control over cybersecurity operations, visibility into technology stack and resilience against external legal or jurisdictional influence that could compromise control.
• Organizational readiness and risk management reviews measure the integration of sovereignty principles into governance systems. Validation focuses on the maturity of risk management, ethical data practices, privacy-by-design implementation and the treatment of sovereignty as part of enterprise governance and compliance.

Organizations that complete validation and verification during the prelaunch phase will receive a complimentary follow-up review once CAN/DGSI 100-8 is formally published. The Sovereign Ready prelaunch will run through 2025. Following the framework’s publication in 2026, the program will transition into a full validation and verification recognition process based on the finalized standard.

Organizations participating in the prelaunch will be recognized as early adopters contributing to the advancement of responsible digital governance and verification in Canada’s digital ecosystem.

“Sovereign Ready turns the principle of digital independence into operational assurance,” added Jansa. “Verification transforms trust from a promise into proof. Proof is what earns confidence.”

Participation

Organizations interested in participating in the Sovereign Ready Validation and Verification Prelaunch can register at www.dgc-cgn.org/sovereign-ready or contact info@dgc-cgn.org for more information.

About the Digital Governance Council

The Digital Governance Council (DGC) is a not-for-profit organization advancing responsible digital governance through leadership in standards and verification. Its independent division, the Digital Governance Standards Institute (DGSI), develops and maintains standards that promote accountability, transparency and trust in technology.

Visit www.dgc-cgn.org for more information.