Given the ongoing antidemocratic #coup in the United States and the ensuing increased security and privacy issues, the University of Amsterdam should move away from using Microsoft servers.

In short:

  1. No amount of guarantees from Microsoft that our data remains in the EU can prevent US authorities from accessing our data on its servers.
  2. The government of the United States is being taken over by fascist criminals.

Readings to support point 1#

  • “It is no longer safe to move our governments and societies to US clouds” (Bert Hubert, 23 Feb 2025 link).

The very short version: it is madness to continue transferring the running of European societies and governments to American clouds. Not only is it a terrible idea given the kind of things the “King of America” keeps saying, the legal sophistry used to justify such transfers, like the nonsense letter the Dutch cabinet sent last week, has now been invalidated by Trump himself. And why are we doing this? Convenience. But it is very scary to make yourself 100% dependent on the goodwill of the American government merely because it is convenient. So let’s not.

  • “Open letter to the Executive Board calling for digital autonomy and independence from Big Tech” (Jaap-Henk Hoepman, 10 March 2025 link).

We are currently dependent on Microsoft Office 365 for all our office work: emailing, writing documents, creating presentations, making video calls, sharing documents and storing our data. Other significant dependencies exist, like Oracle running our administrative backbone Bass, all the documents that we sign going via Adobe, Turnitin to check for plagiarism, teaching interactions happening via Brightspace. This creates multiple vulnerabilities, especially in the light of the rapidly changing geopolitical situation.

  • “Servers in de EU, eigen (dubbele) sleutels: helpt het?” (Dec 11 2024 link).

Naar aanleiding van veel misverstanden hier een kort stukje over:

  • Helpt het als Microsoft/Google/Amazon beloven dat mijn gegevens op servers in de EU worden opgeslagen?
  • Kan ik met “eigen sleutels” / bring your own key / double key encryption / aparte opslag, mijn data in praktische zin beschermen tegen Amerikaanse spionage?
  • Kan ik me zo beschermen tegen Amerikaanse sancties / dreigementen / Trumpiaanse woedeuitbarstingen?

Het antwoord op alledrie de vragen is helaas “nee”.

Readings to support point 2#

  • “The biggest breach of US government data is under way” (Feb 5 2025 link)

“Whether a feat or a coup (which depends entirely on your point of view), a small group of mostly young, private-sector employees from Musk’s businesses and associates — many with no prior government experience — can now view and, in some cases, control the federal government’s most sensitive data held on millions of Americans and the nation’s closest allies.”

  • “Of course it’s a coup” (Feb 5 2025 link)

https://snyder.substack.com/p/of-course-its-a-coup?publication_id=310897&r=diqr

“The ongoing actions by Musk and his followers are a coup because the individuals seizing power have no right to it. Elon Musk was elected to no office and there is no office that would give him the authority to do what he is doing. It is all illegal. It is also a coup in its intended effects: to undo democratic practice and violate human rights.”

In gaining data about us all, Musk has trampled on any notion of privacy and dignity, as well as on the explicit and implicit agreements made with our government when we pay our taxes or our student loans. And the possession of that data enables blackmail and further crimes.