A workshop series on taking back control of your digital life — before someone else designs it for you.
See the workshop materials →Most of us use AI tools that are designed around someone else's priorities — the company's data collection, the advertiser's targeting, the platform's lock-in. Sovereignty by Design is a workshop series about building your own AI setup: one where you own the data, control the access, and understand what's actually happening under the hood.
No prior technical experience required. Just curiosity and a willingness to try.
To get the full benefit of what we cover, you'll want to come prepared. You don't need all of this on day one — but this is the target setup:
GrapheneOS — a privacy-hardened Android — is the mobile OS we install during the workshop. It only runs on Pixel hardware. You don't need it installed beforehand, just bring a compatible phone. Pixel 8 or newer is recommended. Important: the phone must be carrier-unlocked. If you're unsure, check with your carrier before the workshop.
Claude is the AI we use throughout the workshops. A personal plan starts at $20/month. The $100/month plan can support an entire household. Either works — you just need an active subscription at claude.ai.
You don't strictly need one to attend, but a free GitHub account lets you access and follow along with the workshop materials, save your own copies, and build on what you learn.
Any Windows or Linux PC works — 8 GB RAM or more recommended. Linux gets installed during the workshop, so you don't need it ahead of time. Apple computers aren't compatible with this setup.
Don't have all of this yet? That's fine — the workshops are designed to meet you where you are. Come as you are and leave with a clearer picture of the next step.
Workshops start with a 15-minute group session — everyone together — covering what we're building, why it matters, and the tools we'll use. After that, things get personal.
Because everyone comes in at a different starting point, Scott works with attendees individually from there. Some tracks the workshop covers:
We install GrapheneOS together. By the end you'll have a hardened mobile OS and an understanding of what changed and why.
No problem. We'll harden what you have — locking down permissions, removing trackers, and improving your baseline privacy significantly.
You'll hit the ground running. We'll focus on your AI setup and sovereignty stack rather than OS installation.
We install Linux side-by-side or as a replacement, depending on your comfort level. Either way you leave with a working Linux environment.
Small workshops mean real one-on-one time. You won't get lost in the crowd.
What happens to your data when you use commercial AI tools. Why the architecture of the tool is a values decision.
How to run a personal AI that works for you, not for an advertiser. The difference between using a tool and owning one.
Concrete first steps. What to install, what to read, what to try this week. The GitHub repo has everything.
All workshop materials, guides, and recommended tools live in the Sovereignty by Design GitHub repository. Free to use, fork, and share. If you attended a workshop, this is your home base for next steps.
Open the repo on GitHub →Scott Jorgensen is a credentialed science educator who has spent years learning digital privacy and sovereignty from people more skilled than himself. He's curious, persistent, and — with AI agents now in the picture — has more tools to pursue this than ever before.
Professionally, Scott has done significant curriculum work: he led NGSS adoption for Stockton Unified School District and helped establish his school as a California Distinguished School. He's integrated with the San Joaquin County Office of Education, maintains district-level contacts across multiple counties for NGSS implementation, and has a track record of getting real results with students and teachers.
He runs these workshops because he knows how to teach — and because most people who care about privacy don't have a trusted person to walk them through it in plain language. That's what he's trying to be.
Workshops are free and open to the public, hosted at libraries. To find out about upcoming dates, reach out directly.