What is Digital Autonomy?
We decide. No one else.
Digital autonomy means that we in Europe have control over your digital identity and personal data. No tech giants watching, no outside parties managing your data.
In a world where digital identity is becoming increasingly important, it’s crucial that citizens and organizations can trust solutions that put their interests first. Yivi is built from the conviction that digital autonomy is of geopolitical strategic interest. Someone else controling your login, can shut you out.
Why digital autonomy matters now
We live in a time of geopolitical uncertainty where digital sovereignty is more important than ever. Control over Dutch digital identity is increasingly shifting abroad:
- Identity solutions are being acquired - More and more Dutch identity services are being taken over by foreign parties, moving control over our digital identity outside the Netherlands
- Even government software depends on foreign parties - Critical infrastructure like DigiD runs on systems from foreign suppliers, making us vulnerable to external influences
- Vulnerable to foreign legislation - Data stored with American cloud providers falls under the US Cloud Act, allowing American authorities to demand access to Dutch citizens’ data
- BigTech collects massive amounts of personal data - Tech giants use identity data for commercial purposes
For both citizens and organizations, this is a risk: you depend on parties that may have different interests than your privacy and security. In these uncertain times, it’s crucial to choose solutions that are fully in Dutch hands.
How Yivi delivers digital autonomy
Yivi is different. We guarantee digital autonomy through a unique combination of technology and governance:
Technical autonomy
- Your data is stored only on your phone, not in a central database
- You decide which specific data to share - no more than necessary
- No one can see what you do, not even Yivi
- Fully open source - anyone can audit the code
Organizational autonomy
- In Dutch hands, without foreign investors
- Protected by an independent foundation
- Contractually guaranteed that Yivi cannot simply be sold
- Hosting in the Netherlands and the EU
Governance and Safeguards
Yivi is built with strong safeguards to guarantee digital autonomy and independence:
Ownership and trademark rights
The trademark rights of Yivi belong to the Privacy by Design Foundation, an independent Dutch non-profit foundation. The foundation has a contract with Caesar Groep to use the Yivi brand name for further development and management.
Dutch family business
Caesar Groep is a Dutch family business without stock market listing. This means there are no foreign shareholders who can influence the direction of Yivi. Unlike many other identity solutions that have been acquired by foreign parties, Yivi remains fully under Dutch control.
Hosting in the Netherlands and the EU
All hosting takes place in the Netherlands and the EU, currently in Amsterdam at Scaleway and TransIP. Your data therefore remains under Dutch and European legislation.
Contractual safeguards
The contract between the foundation and Caesar stipulates that:
- Yivi remains open source, privacy-friendly and well-secured
- Caesar cannot sell or transfer Yivi activities to another party without the foundation’s consent
- In case Caesar discontinues Yivi, all software, data and access rights fall back to the foundation, with a transition period to guarantee continuity
Open Source Transparency
Yivi is fully open source software, licensed under the Apache 2.0 and GPL 3 licenses. This means that:
- The source code is publicly available and can be reviewed by anyone
- Security researchers can audit the code
- The community can contribute to development
- No hidden functionality or backdoors are possible
- The technology is not dependent on a single party
View the source code on GitHub.
What makes Yivi different?
| Feature | Yivi | Other solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Dutch (foundation + family business) | Often foreign or acquired |
| Can be sold | No, contractually protected | Usually yes, without guarantees |
| Open source | Yes (Apache 2.0 / GPL 3) | Usually closed source |
| Hosting | Netherlands/EU (Scaleway, TransIP) | Often BigTech (Cloud Act risk) |
| Privacy | Maximum - share only what’s needed | Often fixed set of data |
| Future-proof | Yes, eIDAS 2.0 ready | Uncertain |
For organizations that value digital autonomy and sovereignty, Yivi offers guarantees that other solutions cannot provide.
Choose digital autonomy
Take control of your digital identity. Download Yivi and experience what true digital autonomy means.
All you. All yours.
