Digital Sovereignty: Why Self-Host Your Proof of Reading

IT charter, GDPR policy, security procedures… These documents are sensitive. The associated proofs of reading are equally so. So why entrust them to a US cloud service?

The problem with US SaaS solutions

The Cloud Act

Since 2018, the Cloud Act authorizes US authorities to request access to data stored by American companies—even if that data is hosted in Europe.

DocuSign, Adobe Sign, and most electronic signature solutions are US companies. Your proofs of reading are therefore potentially accessible to US authorities.

Privacy Shield invalidation

The Schrems II ruling (2020) invalidated the Privacy Shield, calling into question the legality of data transfers to the United States. Even with new Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), legal risk persists.

Technical dependency

A SaaS service can change its terms, raise prices, or simply shut down. Your compliance evidence then becomes inaccessible or unexportable.

The alternative: self-hosting

Self-hosting means deploying software on your own servers. Advantages:

• Total control: your data stays with you
• Sovereignty: no transfers to foreign jurisdictions
• Sustainability: no dependency on third parties
• Customization: adapt the tool to your needs

Ackify: designed for self-hosting

Ackify is built from the ground up for on-premise deployment:

Simple Docker deployment

docker compose up -d

A docker-compose.yml file and a few environment variables are all you need. No complex dependencies.

Lightweight stack

• Go: single binary, no runtime
• PostgreSQL: standard database
• OAuth2: authentication via your existing provider

No phone home

Ackify doesn't collect data about your usage. No tracking, no hidden telemetry. Your instance is truly yours.

Controlled updates

You decide when to update. Database migrations are automatic and backward-compatible.

Concrete use cases

Local government

A city hall must have agents sign security policies. Impossible to use a US cloud service for civil servant data. Self-hosted Ackify on municipal infrastructure meets this need.

Healthcare sector

A hospital distributes confidentiality procedures to caregivers. Compliance data must not leave the facility's network. Ackify integrates with existing infrastructure.

Sovereignty-conscious SME

A tech startup wants to prove to its clients that it controls its GDPR compliance chain. Using a self-hosted open-source tool strengthens its credibility.

Sovereign hosting in Europe

If you don't have internal infrastructure, sovereign alternatives exist:

• OVHcloud: French host, HDS certified
• Scaleway: European cloud, datacenters in France
• Hetzner: German host, GDPR-compliant
• Infomaniak: Swiss host, GDPR-friendly

Deploy Ackify on these infrastructures to combine cloud benefits with sovereignty.

Open source: the independence guarantee

Ackify is open source (SSPL). This means:

• Transparency: code is auditable
• No vendor lock-in: you can fork if necessary
• Community: shared contributions and improvements
• Sustainability: project survives its publisher

Conclusion

Digital sovereignty isn't a luxury—it's a necessity for organizations handling sensitive data. Self-hosting guarantees total control over your compliance evidence.

Ackify is the open-source tool designed for this need: lightweight, self-hostable, and sovereign by design.

➡️ Deploy Ackify — your proofs of reading, on your servers.