The American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI) and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), based on a long-standing commitment to bridging the digital divide on tribal lands, founded and formed the Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.
Tribal Digital Sovereignty is the umbrella term that encompasses the exercise of sovereign authority over physical and virtual network infrastructure and the intangible, virtual digital jurisdictional aspects of the acquisition, storage, transmission, access, and use of data, including policy developments that impact a Tribal Nation's digital footprint in both real-world and virtual spaces. Tribal Digital Sovereignty encompasses all aspects of a Tribal Nation’s digital plan and footprint, such as Tribal codes, managing data protection, digital equity, network infrastructure, development of funding sources, education, healthcare, public safety and law enforcement, economic and community development, and capacity building.
National Congress of American Indians NC-24-008 Supporting Tribal Digital Sovereignty as an Exercise of Self-Determination
Mission
The Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty provides research and scholarship, capacity building, and a coalition of expert community-serving organizations with long histories of working in this space, creating a gravitas of service as an open-source information resource and clearinghouse for Tribal nations on Tribal Digital Sovereignty planning.
About
The Center for Tribal Digital Sovereignty (CTDS) is the first and only center in the Nation dedicated to assisting Tribal governments, leadership, and communities in understanding the complexities of digital sovereignty, providing access to resources and serving as a clearinghouse for Tribal digital sovereignty.