Digital sovereignty: why should Brittany step up its efforts and become a bridgehead in this field?
The Breton messaging service Treebal has established itself as a credible alternative to the major international digital platforms.
The question of digital sovereignty is no longer a theoretical subject reserved for cybersecurity experts or European strategists. It has become a concrete, everyday, structuring issue. Messaging systems, collaborative platforms, social networks, information distribution tools: most of our digital exchanges today pass through infrastructures owned by non-European groups. Behind this reality of use lies a major strategic dependency.
Against this backdrop, the emergence of a European solution, anchored in Brittany and offering a credible and operational alternative, should be a regional political priority. However, the Breton company Treebal does not yet benefit from the structuring support that might be expected from Brittany's institutions (Region, départements, communes) and companies.
A paradox that it is legitimate to question.
Digital sovereignty: a strategic imperative
Every day, millions of people in Brittany, France and Europe use international messaging systems and platforms for their professional, institutional and personal exchanges. These tools are powerful, user-friendly and accessible. But they are based on an economic model founded on data capture, advertising and, sometimes, opaque algorithmic exploitation.
The issue is not just the protection of individual data, which is already governed by the RGPD, but collective control of our digital infrastructures.
Who controls the flow of information?
Where is the data hosted?
Under what legal rules can they be used, consulted or suspended?
The health crisis, the current serious geopolitical tensions and the debates surrounding the regulation of platforms have shown the extent to which technological dependence can become a factor of vulnerability. At a time when we are talking about energy, industrial and food sovereignty, it makes no sense to neglect digital trust.
An example: Treebal, a credible Breton alternative
Treebal, a company based in Rennes, was set up precisely to address this issue. Its mission: to offer an ethical, secure, eco-designed messaging service that complies with European standards.
Unlike the dominant platforms, Treebal has chosen a model based neither on the resale of data nor on behavioural advertising. The data is hosted in Europe - 100% will be in France in a few weeks' time - and the company is committed to a sober digital approach. Eco-design is built into the technical architecture right from the start, limiting unnecessary storage, optimising data flows and considering the environmental impact of usage.
In an original way, beyond the general public, Treebal has developed a specific offering, Treebal Pro, designed for businesses, local authorities and public organisations. The objective is clear: to offer a high-performance tool for internal and external communication, while guaranteeing data control and regulatory compliance.
Yes Breizh (which is neither a shareholder nor a reseller of Treebal ! 😊) believes that the interest of Treebal Pro is not just about ethics: it's a functional solution, capable of structuring workgroups, distributing targeted information, organising internal communication and facilitating exchanges.
Some local authorities have already taken the plunge. Here in Brittany, some local authorities have already chosen to adopt Treebal to replace international messaging services for certain municipal uses. This choice reflects a political will that cuts across party lines: to align digital tools with the values of sovereignty and responsibility.
On the business side, national and local players committed to the transition have also opted for this Breton alternative. For these organisations, the challenge is twofold: to protect their exchanges and to ensure that their digital practices are consistent with CSR principles.
A Breton paradox
For several years now, Brittany has been positioning itself as a country of innovation. Digital transformation is at the heart of the Brittany Region's strategy, which emphasises responsible, inclusive and sustainable digital development. Incubators, calls for projects, support schemes.
In this context, it is surprising that a company like Treebal (and there may be others in Brittany), which precisely ticks the strategic boxes set out by public policy - sovereignty, innovation, environmental responsibility, regulatory compliance - does not benefit from more visible and massive support.
Why not make Treebal a Breton symbol of national and international digital autonomy?
Why not encourage its deployment more strongly in town halls, departments and local public establishments?
Why not support its development on a national and European scale as one of Brittany's flagship responsible digital businesses?
Of course, Yes Breizh is not asking for special treatment for Treebal, but Yes Breizh is questioning the consistency between the political ambitions stated and the operational choices made.
Supporting digital sovereignty: a strategic investment
More support for this type of business Treebal would not be a matter of simple economic patriotism. It would be a strategic choice.
Firstly, in terms of cybersecurity and data management. Local authorities handle sensitive information: administrative data, internal exchanges, structuring projects. Using a controlled European solution reduces the risks associated with the extraterritoriality of certain foreign laws.
Secondly, in terms of attractiveness. Brittany could position itself as a full-scale laboratory for sovereign digital technology, by massively deploying local solutions in its institutions. This would send out a strong signal to entrepreneurs, investors and talented individuals.
Finally, in terms of policy coherence. Promoting responsible digital technology while continuing to depend almost exclusively on international platforms sends out an ambiguous message. On the contrary, supporting Treebal and other companies pursuing the same goal would be in line with the rhetoric on ecological transition, resilience and strategic autonomy.
Towards a new digital narrative
Ultimately, the issue goes beyond the case of a single company. It questions our collective ability to build a new digital narrative. A narrative in which technological performance is not dissociated from ethics, in which innovation goes hand in hand with data protection, and in which territorial roots are seen as a strength rather than a limitation.
Brittany has often been able to anticipate major economic changes, whether in agri-food, telecommunications or the maritime economy. Digital sovereignty could be one of the next structuring projects.
In this line, Yes Breizh is currently launching a number of discussion groups around cultural, social and economic themes. One of the topics is digital sovereignty.
To finish or rather to begin?
Strategic digital autonomy is essential to guarantee our collective freedom, our economic security and our capacity for innovation. With this in mind, we need to find concrete responses to a systemic challenge.
Treebal is an example of what Brittany can and must do. It's much more than just another start-up: it's a concrete response to a systemic challenge.
The fact that Brittany, its five départements and its communes have not yet made this venture a key pillar of their digital strategy raises questions. More support Treebal, This would mean investing in the region's independence, coherence and digital future.
And what's more... Treebal exists in French, English, Breton, Gallo, Catalan and soon in other Celtic and European languages as a symbol that digital sovereignty is also cultural sovereignty...
Sovereignty often begins locally.
But you still have to choose to build it!
Yes Breizh will support initiatives by companies, institutions and associations that share this commitment.
To find out more about Treebal, the Breton messaging service.
