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Data sovereignty is an illusion: you are seriously at risk
Data sovereignty. A word you break your tongue over, but better not trip over. Everyone points at governments: the Americans deploying their Patriot Act, the Chinese who have eyes everywhere, the Russians cybernetically looking over your shoulder. But honestly? That's not even where the danger is.
The real danger is called Big Tech.
The tech giants you and your company rely on every day - for storage, collaboration, analytics - don't just make money with their services. They make money with access to your data. Often legally, cleverly wrapped in endless licensing terms that no manager or director ever voluntarily plows through.
Data sovereignty is not just about where your data is. It is mainly about who has access to it. Even if you host neatly in Europe, underlying U.S. laws such as CLOUD Act or business agreements you don't see can still open the door.
For companies looking to protect their IP, customer data or sensitive internal info, this is not an academic discussion. It's rock-solid business.
Lose control of your data, and you eventually lose control of your business.
In this blog, we dive into the less frequently discussed side of data sovereignty: how Big Tech is reading along, where the real risks are, and what you can do to take back control - without having to immediately move to a server in your own basement.
Because let's face it: data is the new gold.
And if you put your gold in someone else's vault, don't be surprised if something is occasionally missing.
Your data is big business - just not for you
We've known it for years: Google is looking into your data. Not just when you use Gmail or briefly share a document via Google Drive. Even when you think you're working “safely” in their business cloud services, Google has rights that go further than most users realize. What about you?
In an earlier blog ("The data you put in the cloud is mostly … not yours anymore!" - read here), I already showed how easily companies unknowingly lose ownership and control once they upload data. The fine print gives providers rights to use, analyze and even store your information, without you always having control over it.
And it's not just Google.
Other big players - Microsoft, Amazon, Meta - are also playing the same dirty game. Of course they tell you that privacy is important. And at the same time, they sign contracts giving themselves broad rights to process, analyze and - sometimes - share your data, if it's legally convenient.
Before you shrug and think, “so what, they're just watching ...”. Consider what the risks are of this watching along!
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Loss of competitive advantage
Unique business information, new product ideas or strategic plans may end up in the hands of parties who will benefit commercially. -
Compliance Issues
As soon as sensitive customer or personal data is processed or shared out of your sight, you may find yourself in trouble with AVG/GDPR legislation - resulting in hefty fines. -
Limited negotiating power
Those who hand over their data also give up bargaining power. In conflicts over access, terms or costs, you are weaker.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg ...
So data sovereignty is not just about national security or government surveillance.
It's just as much about your own business continuity. There is more danger.
How ai helps big tech dive even deeper into your data
As if spying along wasn't bad enough, Big Tech now has a new toy: artificial intelligence. But that toy ... is a dangerous weapon. Dangerous for you.
AI makes it easier than ever to fish valuable information out of massive amounts of corporate data. Not manually, not reactively - but at lightning speed, predictively and without your knowledge.
Where previously you might have hoped that your data would remain submerged in an inscrutable vat of information, AI helps to reveal patterns, trends and hidden connections.
And that means even more commercial insights for the platforms running your data.
For example, smart algorithms recognize which products are in your pipeline, which customer segments you serve and which internal processes you might automate. Those same algorithms also know what innovations you are working on. Even if you only think you are storing some documents or meeting through a cloud service, the data machine is running at full speed.
The risks are piling up:
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Your competitively sensitive information may end up as a “market trend” in reports that others buy.
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Your own innovative ideas may inadvertently become models for new tools or services from the provider itself.
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Your innovative ideas may go unnoticed by AI and reach a competitor as “fresh advice” - packaged as a response from a generative chatbot.
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Your behavior - and that of your customers - is predicted, analyzed and monetized, without your control.
The deployment of AI thus makes data sovereignty no longer a theoretical luxury.
It is becoming a hard condition for remaining competitive in a market where information is the new medium of exchange.
Those who lose control of their data ultimately lose control of their future.
If even your encrypted files are not secure ...
Recently it came out that Microsoft is actively scanning your data for passwords. What?
Not just ordinary documents or chats, but also emails and attachments that are encrypted.
The goal? To detect passwords so they can access files that would otherwise remain unreadable.
Formally, this is done under the guise of security and convenience. In practice, it means that even your carefully protected data is not truly private once you put it in the cloud.
And if Microsoft does this, you can bet that other Big Tech companies also have their own ways of continuing to look behind the scenes.
Encryption once gave the illusion of control. Now it turns out to be mostly a thin layer of ice that it's best not to rely on too much.
This news underscores again: data sovereignty is an illusion.
Even if you think you have everything neatly protected, there are always systems, rules or commercial interests that break open your protected data.
If you want to keep your crown jewels safe, don't just think about good security.
You must also take a critical look at who you are actually giving access to your digital vault.
Take back your control now
Data sovereignty may sound like a distant concept. But you see: it goes right to the heart of your business operations.
And no, you don't have to build a server bunker in your basement to maintain control.
It starts with conscious choice.
Choosing solutions that are transparent about data usage. For partners that don't sneak into your files. For platforms that don't see data sovereignty as an afterthought, but as a basic requirement. Because there are. Parties that treat your data respectfully and therefore you.
Do you want to know how to do that smartly and practically, without letting your company get in the grip of Big Tech?
Then make a no-obligation appointment.
In one conversation, I'll show you where your real risks are - and how you can turn them into a strong, sovereign data approach that actually strengthens your competitive position.
Your data is worth its weight in gold.
Make sure you are the only one with access and guarding the vault.