About
We depend on a remarkable number of systems. The opportunity is to understand them a little better—and recover some room to choose.
Understand.
Build.
Maintain.
Choose.
Practical Sovereignty is an independent publication about the space between having an opinion and having a capability. It explores technology, infrastructure, homes, tools, and knowledge through a simple question: can we understand, maintain, or replace the things that matter?
We are interested in a useful kind of autonomy. One that makes room for cooperation, good institutions, modern technology, and asking someone who knows more. Independence from everything is neither possible nor particularly desirable. Meaningful choice is a more practical ambition.
This is a place for thoughtful essays and observations from the workbench. The aim is to leave each subject a little more understandable, and each reader with something they can try.
A few things to work by.
Choose dependencies deliberately.
A useful relationship is worth keeping. Understand what it provides, what it asks in return, and what happens when the terms change.
Keep an exit within reach.
An alternative should be more than a name on a list. Export the files, try the replacement, and keep the knowledge needed to move.
Build capability, not a collection.
Tools earn their place through use. Invest in understanding, practice, and the confidence to recognise when you need help.
Make systems legible.
Use ordinary formats. Label the parts. Explain the decisions. Leave enough knowledge for someone else to continue the work.
Rehearse recovery.
A spare and a plan are starting points. Test small failures safely, notice what surprises you, and improve the arrangement.
Share what you learn.
Autonomy can grow through cooperation. Knowledge, useful institutions, and reciprocal relationships make more choices possible.
A little about me
My starting point was privacy. I’m passionate about putting digital ownership back into the hands of users: giving people meaningful control over their data, their tools, and the choices they make online.
I was previously involved in creating tools to protect privacy, before specialising in decentralised finance (DeFi). That interest in digital ownership gradually grew into a broader question: what would it mean to reclaim meaningful control over the other systems we depend on, too?
Practical Sovereignty grew from that question. It brings my interest in privacy and user ownership into a wider, hands-on exploration of autonomy—understanding how things work, developing the skills to maintain them, and keeping the freedom to choose another way.