Voics of Brittany is a series of short interviews offered by Yes Breizh.
Through five simple questions, Breton women and men from different backgrounds share their vision for the future of Brittany.
Their answers are published as they are, without modification.
Who is Samuel Le Port?
Samuel Le Port is an entrepreneur in the digital sector and founder of Treebal, a messaging service designed in Brittany.
With several years of experience in digital technologies, he is particularly interested in data sovereignty, environmental impact, and organisational resilience.
With Treebal, It adopts an approach aimed at offering more responsible digital tools, rooted in local realities and open to a European dynamic.
Digital sovereignty is a key issue for Brittany today.
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What inspired you to create Treebal, a messaging app born in Brittany, when international giants already dominate this sector?
The creation of Treebal stems from a dual observation, both personal and professional.
After many years working in the digital sector, I've gradually become aware of our increasing reliance on a few major players (GAFAM and BATX). This dependence raises several fundamental questions: the sovereignty of our data, the resilience of our organisations, and the environmental impact of our digital usage.
At the same time, I saw more and more businesses, local authorities and organisations expressing a need for alternative solutions for professionals, capable of protecting their data while promoting a more responsible digital approach. The idea of creating Treebal therefore stemmed from this conviction: it is possible to design different digital tools that put people, ethics and sobriety back at the heart of technology.
The fact that Treebal was born in Brittany is no accident.
Ce territoire possède une forte culture d’innovation, une identité culturelle forte à préserver, mais aussi une tradition de coopération et d’engagement. Nous avons voulu nous appuyer sur ces valeurs pour construire une messagerie souveraine, sécurisée et éco-conçue, capable d’offrir une alternative européenne à des solutions non maîtrisées comme WhatsApp, fondé sur la confiance, la transparence et la responsabilité. Quand on sait que 41% des jeunes cyber harcelés sont ciblés sur WhatsApp, on ne peut pas rester à rien à faire….
In your view, how has digital technology become a strategic issue for the future of Brittany?
Digital technology is now a major strategic issue for the future of Brittany, as it conditions our economic resilience, our sovereignty, including cultural sovereignty, and our capacity for responsible innovation.
We observe that many organisations, whether businesses, local authorities, or institutions, are heavily reliant on a few major international tech players. This dependency creates a vulnerability: a breakdown or technical issue can paralyse essential services.
Faced with this situation, it is crucial to build a sovereign and sustainable digital ecosystem, capable of protecting data, limiting environmental impact, and strengthening the autonomy of local actors. Initiatives like Treebal, demonstrate that it is not impossible, that we can create alternative solutions to dominant platforms, by placing people and ethics at the heart of technology, and also our collective attachment to our territory.
For Brittany, this means several things: diversifying our digital tools, reasserting control over our data, developing a regional and European ecosystem of trusted solutions, and training our leaders and citizens to take back control of our digital use.
In short, investing in sovereign digital technology is investing in the economic, social, and cultural future of Brittany: it ensures that our region remains competitive, innovative, and capable of defending itself against external technological dependencies.
Digital is no longer just infrastructure: it is becoming a genuine strategic lever for our collective autonomy and prosperity.
Creating a Breton alternative to platforms like WhatsApp, is that for you an entrepreneurial, cultural, or political act?
Creating a Breton alternative to platforms like WhatsApp is, in my eyes, an act that is simultaneously entrepreneurial, cultural, and political.
Entrepreneurial, because it's about demonstrating our ability to design an innovative, ethical and eco-responsible solution with our Breton talents, responding to the concrete needs of businesses, local authorities and citizens.
Culturally, as it allows us to reaffirm our local capacity to invent, produce, and manage technologies that respect our values and lifestyles. It is for this reason, as a symbol of our cultural sovereignty, that we have translated Treebal into Breton and Gallo (but also into Catalan and Flemish), and added the BZH emoji of the Gwenn ha Du to show that we can regain power.« without depending on the goodwill of the GAFAMs. »
And political, finally, because regaining control of our digital tools, protecting our data, and promoting European digital sovereignty is a clear choice and an affirmation of our collective autonomy. It is therefore a project with a triple dimension: it combines innovation, identity, and civic responsibility.
If Brittany had more decision-making power regarding the economy and digital sector, what would that concretely change for entrepreneurs like you?
Our digital dependency is not inevitable: it is the result of years of neglect of public procurement of French start-ups and a so-called neutrality of public procurement which has favoured the GAFAMs as well as regulation.
If the regions had more economic and digital decision-making powers, we could radically change this dynamic. This would allow us to support, finance, and co-create solutions more quickly and unleash energies. Concretely, it would mean more agility for entrepreneurs, more local creations, and a real capacity to invent competitive Breton and European digital solutions.
What message would you like to send to Bretons who are still hesitant to support local initiatives like Treebal?
To Bretons who are still hesitating to support local initiatives like Treebal: every digital choice counts for our future. By choosing sovereign, ethical, and eco-responsible solutions, you help to strengthen your communes' autonomy, secure exchanges between elected officials, agents, and inhabitants, and build a digital environment that respects our values and our territory.
Discuss ours Treebal Pro Offer For the mayors around you, raise awareness among your elected officials, and encourage them to switch to this messaging service designed for them after the municipal elections. The more of us who mobilise, the more we can collectively regain control of our local communication. Together, let's protect our data, our values and our local democracy: let's take back control of our digital usage as quickly as possible!
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