Core Viewpoint - The heavy reliance of the Netherlands on American cloud services raises significant concerns about digital sovereignty and national security, especially in light of recent political tensions and incidents involving U.S. sanctions [1][2][3] Group 1: Dependence on American Cloud Services - A recent survey revealed that a vast number of Dutch public institutions, including government agencies and critical infrastructure operators, outsource their email and cloud services to American companies, with Microsoft holding a 60% market share in email services [1] - 63% of large Dutch enterprises and 60% of critical infrastructure companies, such as banks and water supply firms, depend on American cloud platforms like Microsoft and Google [1][2] - The Dutch government and various ministries are significantly reliant on Microsoft services, with 9 out of 15 ministries using its cloud solutions [1] Group 2: Risks and Security Concerns - Experts warn that key Dutch websites, including those of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Central Bank, could theoretically be shut down or altered by U.S. entities due to this dependence [2] - The U.S. government's ability to access Dutch data, even stored within the EU, poses a substantial risk to national security, especially in times of political conflict [2] - A report from a Dutch think tank emphasizes the need for the Netherlands to accelerate the development of local or European cloud service alternatives to mitigate systemic reliance on U.S. technology [2] Group 3: Academic and Political Response - The Dutch academic community is actively addressing the risks associated with U.S. digital storage, launching initiatives to back up critical research data stored on American servers [3] - The Dutch Parliament has passed several motions urging the government to reduce dependence on U.S. cloud services and to promote the development of domestic or European alternatives [3] - There is increasing pressure from lawmakers for the Dutch government to present actionable plans to enhance digital infrastructure resilience [3]