this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2025
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UK and EU Government Data to Be Moved Into Google and Microsoft Clouds The Step Opens Access for U.S. Authorities, Deepens Reliance on Single Providers, and Undermines Digital Sovereignty (sfg.media)
submitted 2 days ago by Babalugats@feddit.uk to c/buyeuropean@feddit.uk
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The digitalization of public services promises convenience and savings, but in practice it forces governments to choose: modernize their infrastructure at the risk of losing control over data, or preserve sovereignty at the cost of slower updates. Londonโ€™s deal with Google and Brusselsโ€™ agreement with Microsoft revealed that the issue of storing and accessing information has become not only technical but geopoliticalโ€”and that citizensโ€™ data are turning into a strategic asset, on par with energy or raw materials. Societyโ€™s dependence on digital technologies deepens every day. The more domains move online, the more data we generateโ€”medical records, financial transactions, consumer habits. The volume of information on the internet doubles roughly every three years. Governments too are moving services onlineโ€”from tax filings to medical files. In theory this should make processes faster and cheaper, but the reality is more complex. Londonโ€™s new contract with Google made clear that even advanced economies face the same dilemma: modernization or control over their data. Under the terms of the deal, vast troves of information will be stored in the United States. Microsoft has already acknowledged that it cannot guarantee full autonomy to clients in Franceโ€”or across the EUโ€”if Washington demands access....

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[โ€“] mfed1122@discuss.tchncs.de 42 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It's so crazy to me that the EU has even let the situation progress this far. It seems like such an obvious espionage risk. Especially since I feel like even a modestly funded grants program for some European tech alternatives would probably be eaten up by devs and VCs in Europe. Like who wouldn't want a chance to become "The Google of Europe"? Maybe wouldn't even need to be grants but some sort of weird competitive prize. Like "first one to build cloud data storage service with 50000 active users gets โ‚ฌ1M" (but with a lot more terms and conditions to make it not so rigged of course).

Like the U.S is so antsy about Tiktok, and China and Russia have clearly had major foresight. Everyone laughed at "wannabe" Yandex etc. Treating these services like petty nationalistic off-brands when they're clearly something more. Who's laughing now?

[โ€“] justOnePersistentKbinPlease@fedia.io 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)

We all bought into the open, global internet because the US government was supposed to be protected from exactly what the GOP are doing.

China, Russia et al. created their firewalls to prevent open and free communication.

[โ€“] Saleh@feddit.org 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

In regards to Espionage, it was pretty clear since more than a decade, probably two decades, that the US would not be the beacon of an open internet.

[โ€“] Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago

But we're allies, allies would never....

[โ€“] Ek-Hou-Van-Braai@piefed.social 28 points 2 days ago (1 children)

How are they this careless

[โ€“] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

To some degree, ALL western governments are functionally equivalent to capitalist dictatorships at the state and federal levels. Sure, you can vote for whomever you want on election day, but 90+% of politicians have been pre-screened, pre-positioned, and pre-financed by the oligarchs and their corporations. They act in their financiers best interests; not the citizens. In capitalism you vote with your wallet, and a small minority hold the majority of the votes.

That's how they are this careless. Because they are paid to be this careless. These are not true leaders. They do not possess strong convictions, morals, or ethics. They are sheeple. Not shepards.

[โ€“] hemmes@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago (3 children)

I thought the EU was moving more towards open source?

[โ€“] Anonymaus@feddit.org 20 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I thought eu was moving towards digital sovereignty, but money (from washington) speaks louder than words

[โ€“] Renohren@lemmy.today 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

More than that it's utter fear from our elites. Not really money flowing from Google and Microsoft into the pockets of politicians. It's fear of higher tarrifs that motivates the EU to become a fiefdom of the US tech and defense sector.

[โ€“] starlinguk@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

Nope, the trade deal ditched all of that.

[โ€“] Renohren@lemmy.today -1 points 1 day ago

No it's all good American firms that are going to take the leadership of our future. Done.

And no: even if one day the democrats come back to power (and how are they ever going to do that?), it won't change a thing, they also like having their hands around our necks.

[โ€“] Babalugats@feddit.uk 15 points 2 days ago

It's almost as though things like this never happened:

https://www.heise.de/en/news/Criminal-Court-Microsoft-s-email-block-a-wake-up-call-for-digital-sovereignty-10387383.html

Microsoft blocked the email account of Chief Prosecutor of the International Court of Justice after Trump's sanctions. Critics: โ€œWe urgently need alternatives.โ€

US President Donald Trump sanctioned the court in The Hague in February after a panel of ICC judges issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes in the Gaza Strip in November.

The court is virtually paralyzed in its work as a result, writes the AP news agency. One reason for this is that it is heavily dependent on service providers such as Microsoft. They had restricted their work for the court because they feared being targeted by the US authorities.

Khan's bank accounts in his home country of Great Britain were also blocked. Even employees of a civil society organization that plays a central role in gathering evidence and locating witnesses have withdrawn money from US bank accounts to secure it from confiscation.

[โ€“] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 14 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Why? Why can't we just build our own data centres? Plenty of I.T. people need employment

[โ€“] Renohren@lemmy.today 2 points 1 day ago

Because we want US money. If we start not buying US weapons, energy and tech, Trump could put more tarrifs on our backs and OMG that would be our downfall!

There we are just selling our countries themselves to the US, we already accepted to sell our population's sanity to all US social media and US entertainment companies. We already accept Google to filter our news and put what is important to them at the front-page of the news cycle.

No one cares anymore. The EU is dead, merely 5 minutes after pushing strong laws against all this.

BACO: Bruxelles always chickens out.

[โ€“] Libb@piefed.social 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Since Trump (re)entered the Office and started doing his show, and after having read the Project 2025, I naively imagined EU would wake up and decide it was much more than time to steer away from the USA. But that was just me being naive.

That would almost be funny if I wasn't living in the EU witnessing those clowns doing their clown job.

[โ€“] HK65@sopuli.xyz 12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

We have the same von der Leyen at the helm that has been caught multiple times in corrupton scandals redirecting public funds to American companies. In Germany, she had the money that was supposed to be there for the Bundeswehr to management consultants, and now there is the Pfizer affair.

We need to get neoliberal thieves out of politics.

[โ€“] Babalugats@feddit.uk 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Also the same Von Der Leyen who last month 'negotiated' the trade deals that are hugely lopsided in favour of the US, meaning the EU will face much higher tariffs going to US than vice versa. How more people are not calling for her to resign or be forced out is beyond me.

[โ€“] birdwing@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Fuck no, NO MICROSOFT STORAGE CENTERS. NO GOOGLE STORAGE CENTERS.

If the US wants to enforce their Cloud act then fuck that. We will do what we want.

[โ€“] Renohren@lemmy.today 1 points 1 day ago

Yes with your own data. But with the data the state has about you: it's all going across the pond. Whether you like it or not. They have chosen to bow to Trump. As the head of NATO said : "Daddy's back".