A new triangle to think about...
Hills and valleys: I'll take you on my adventure to switch from Big Tech software to more reliable, European or open-source alternatives. I...
Only on Signal: on principles, pain and digital boundaries
Hills and valleys: I'll take you on my adventure to switch from Big Tech software to more reliable, European or open-source alternatives. I...
Building Europe Itself: From Key Figures to Key People
⁇ The urgency of today: Building Digital Sovereignty Thursday, June 5th, my alarm went off at 2:30. After only two hours of sleep, I got up, packed my suitcase, drank a...
Between storm and silence: Why I'm Hopeful Today
A particularly difficult season Sometimes it is as if life is piling up for a while. In recent months, my family and I have been confronted with no less than five personal dramas in...
Stopover to the future
As the train whizzes towards Arnhem, I let my gaze rest on the passing landscape. This journey is more than just a physical journey. It's a...
The Red Button: How the U.S. Banned an International Criminal Court Prosecutor from Accessing His Email
Digital sovereignty is no longer an abstract concept Imagine: You're an internationally respected lawyer, chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), and suddenly you can't join your...
Digital Sovereignty: A New Course for Municipalities. Are you reading Hardenberg?
The recent news that forty Dutch municipalities are launching their own sovereign cloud environment is an encouraging sign of progress. This initiative, which stems from the Open Web concept, offers municipalities...
Digital sovereignty? Not in Hardenberg, apparently.
While Europe is looking at digital independence and more and more governments are reconsidering their trust in American tech giants, the municipality of Hardenberg is happily opting for a deeper...
It is political: Insights from the Nextcloud Enterprise Day 2025
Sometimes you visit an event that broadens your view of technology, data and society in one fell swoop. Yesterday was such a day. During the Nextcloud Enterprise...
A European façade on American foundations
New commitments, old dependencies On 30 April, Microsoft published a comprehensive statement entitled ‘Our European Cloud Principles and Commitments’ (source: https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/04/30/european-digital-commitments/). In it, the company promises, among other things, data centers...
⁇ Time for Action: Europe, now or never
An ethical digital future begins today The letter from seven Dutch technology companies to the House of Representatives, shared via post on LinkedIN, is no ordinary lobby letter. It's a manifesto. Sendent,...
A little self-deprecating
⁇ From Digital Detox to Data Dizziness "Are you busy or are you just pretending?" someone asked me the other day as I sighed and held my coffee and at the same time a whiteboard, laptop, phone...
The Keyword Parade
CTRL+F and the Devaluation of a Life Course What if your entire career is ultimately reduced to a keyword bingo? That you're not judged by who you are or...
Why can't I just say no?
Hills and valleys: my Journey away from Big Tech I take you on my adventure to switch from Big Tech software to more reliable, European or open-source alternatives...
Morally bankrupt
Once upon a time, the United States was the land of promise, bravado, and Bruce Springsteen. A place that we as Europeans watched with awe – the country where...
Fun in Hengelo
Today my day started in the studio of Mireille Droste, a great photographer with a keen eye for detail. At my side was Marlene,...
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