Clouded Judgment: Why U.S. Tech Giants Can’t Guarantee Sovereignty

From sanctions to subpoenas, the political reach of the United States extends deep into the infrastructure of Amazon, Microsoft, and other tech giants. Despite promises of “data sovereignty” and fancy compliance labels, the truth is stark: your critical services are only as stable as the next presidential decree.

In this talk, we’ll unpack why blind trust in U.S. cloud providers is a strategic vulnerability and how organizations risk operational disruption, legal exposure, and a false sense of security. Real-world examples, including the ICC’s clash with Microsoft, will show how geopolitical pressure can pierce the cloud’s shiny surface. And all the promises and commitments end up changing anything but the bottom line. If you think EU server storage and source code in vaults is enough, think again.