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,...
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...
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...
EduNEX and Europe's AI Way: sustainable, people-oriented, sovereign
⁇ Europe is building AI factories – and that's good news While Silicon Valley is tumbling over each other in a race full of hype and risks, Europe is pushing for something radical...
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...
Nextcloud's breakthrough: The tipping point is now
⁇ Nextcloud's breakthrough: The tipping point is now "We are on the verge of a digital revolution. Nextcloud is no longer a niche – it is the future.” The latest...
Dutch Governments Embrace Nextcloud
Dutch Governments Embrace Nextcloud: A Step Towards Digital Sovereignty The increasing move from Dutch governments to Nextcloud is a promising development that paves the way for enhanced digital independence and...
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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