European governments may be reconsidering their use of American technology and services, according to a new report in The New York Times.
The flashpoint seems to come after President Donald Trump sanctioned Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, over the ICC’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.
In response, Microsoft turned off Khan’s email address. Casper Klynge, a former diplomat who has also worked for Microsoft, told the NYT that Microsoft’s action became “the smoking gun that many Europeans had been looking for,” pushing them to look at alternative options. (Some ICC workers have reportedly switched over to Swiss email service Proton, for example.)
“If the U.S. administration goes after certain organizations, countries or individuals, the fear is American companies are obligated to comply,” Klynge said.
For its part, Microsoft said it has subsequently made policy changes to protect customers similar situations, and it noted that it did not shut down the email accounts of four ICC judges who Trump sanctioned earlier this month. In addition, just this week, CEO Satya Nadella announced new “sovereign solutions” to protect European institutions.