When the Cloud Turns Against You: ICC Sanctions Show the True Danger of (U.S.-Based) Cloud Services
In an alarming turn of events, the United States government has used sanctions to shut down the operations of the International Criminal Court (ICC) by revoking email access for Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan. The consequence? Critical investigations halted. Collaborations with NGOs severed. A justice institution digitally paralyzed, all due to the power wielded through U.S. cloud and communications infrastructure.
This chilling example is not an anomaly, it’s a warning. If your data lives in the cloud, especially a U.S.-controlled one, it lives under laws like the CLOUD Act, which allows the (U.S.) government to compel access to your data no matter where it physically resides. (upcoming legislation like ProtectEU are not much better)
The Myth of Cloud Sovereignty
Despite marketing promises from Microsoft and others that your data is safe and sovereign, this incident proves otherwise. The reality is: data sovereignty cannot exist if you depend on cloud providers that will appease government regimes.
Just a few years ago, Microsoft claimed your data would remain your own, isolated, encrypted, and protected. But legal realities have overridden those claims. When geopolitics enter the chat, access to your email, your files, your operations. Gone in a keystroke.
There Is a Solution: Take Back Control
At Taurix, we believe real sovereignty starts with owning your infrastructure. That’s why we focus on self-hosted, open-source solutions that guarantee full control over your digital environment with zero dependency on Big Tech cloud platforms.
Here are our key offerings that can protect you from this exact threat:
🔐 Nextcloud – Your Private Cloud: Host your own file storage, calendar, contacts, and collaboration suite. All under your roof. Fully encrypted and secure.
📬 Stalwart Mail – Self-Hosted Secure Email: A modern, high-performance mail server without ties to U.S. or EU cloud providers. Flexible, scalable, and sovereign.
💬 Matrix or SimpleX – Decentralised Messaging & Chat: End-to-end encrypted chat and collaboration that respects your privacy. Ideal for teams, NGOs, and governments.
And let’s not forget that even with all those under your control, your devices may still spy on you. To use secure services without risk, you need endpoints that you can trust. That means Linux laptops and GrapheneOS smartphones.
If it can happen to the ICC, it can happen to anyone.
Don’t let your operations hinge on (foreign) controlled infrastructure. The future of digital independence is on-premise, open-source, and owned by you.
