Why does the (semi) government still opt for digital dependency?
The shock of a vacancy Sometimes you read something that makes you laugh awkwardly. A vacancy at a large hospital, for example, where it is fun to look for a BI developer who helps...
Water Board Vechtstroom learns nothing from Hardenberg
Our local authorities as digital satellite statesThe Water Board Vechtstroom does exactly the same as the municipality of Hardenberg: transfer our local government systems and data to a foreign power. It's like being consciously...
Europe in digital chains: From naive control to shameless betrayal
Where the hell do I start? There's so much happening at the same time that I don't really know where to start. The European dream of freedom and transparency is about to collapse. While civilians...
How America turns Europe into a horny place with digital thumbscrews
The mask of European pride We like to walk around in Brussels and The Hague with our breasts ahead: “digital sovereignty, autonomy, independence.” Nice words for a conference, but in reality...
I always thought it was abstract – until I saw what we really lost
The awareness suddenly came. And I'm still sick of it. I was working on something technical. A currency analysis. An invoice in USD, a few exchange rate differences. Routine. Until I...
Big Tech and the new feudalism: we are declared digitally obsolete
⁇ Secret infrastructures, open wounds On August 6, NRC published an article that reads like a dystopian paragraph from 1984: Israel turns out to be systematically listening to Palestinian phone calls and beating...
Freedom is a lie when only capital is free.
The illusion of freedom It sounds so good: Less government, more freedom. An old neoliberal mantra that is still eagerly repeated on drinks from real estate investors and in the LinkedIn posts...
Your Internet Service Provider Knows You're Watching Porn and Makes Money From It
Your browser does not lie, your DNS betrays you Most people think that the incognito mode in their browser protects them from viewers. But that is a persistent illusion. On the...
Wetransfer, Washington and We: Why Digital Sovereignty Is No Longer a Hobby Project
Sovereignty starts with discomfort I had promised myself (and my wife) not to write business blogs during my vacation. Still, I'm here. In the French sun, with a glass...
Melting walls and entrenched thought patterns
Complaining cellars, cooking kitchens I read this article this morning: ⁇ One in three Dutch people don't find home heat resistant enough (NU.nl) And as far as I'm concerned, that's the kind of head where...
Temu, tanks and disloyalty
Quiet for a moment, but not away It was quiet. Too quiet. Not because there was nothing to say, but because I had nothing to give. Personal storms, loss, frustration, mourning,...
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...
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...
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...
Data transmission under pressure: Will 2025 be the year of digital separation?
Alarm from Berlin Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser recently warned of the shaky state of transatlantic data traffic. In an interview with the Handelsblatt, she insists...
Data on the fence – how Europe is losing its digital wool
⁇ Our data, their business model Imagine a field. On the right: Europe, where exhausted citizens in frayed clothes try in vain to stop a flow of sheep. To the...
Digital Sovereignty: It's time to reclaim our data.
A dead deal: The recent analysis of Simple Analytics leaves no doubt: The latest EU-US data agreement is seriously faltering. Under the guise of privacy protection...
Playing with the future of European software
A playground for digital sovereignty Imagine a digital environment in which you are in control of your own data. No ads, no hidden trackers, no dependence on American...
Why?
Why some data initiatives do succeed Data and IT changes rarely fail due to technical limitations. The real pitfalls are confusion, resistance, lack of direction or simply...
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...
From amazement to responsibility
As a self-employed person, I am constantly looking for assignments where I can use my expertise. The other day I came across a public contract issued by the municipality of Hellendoorn that started with the...
Microsoft stranglehold: municipalities in the tang
The municipalities see various risks in the dependence on Microsoft It is outright scandalous that our Dutch municipalities have chained themselves to the whims of an American mega company like Microsoft...
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