RE: https://mastodon.social/@johnpaulflintoff/116329763162608555

cannot say this enough:

LULA & BRASIL CALLED OUT MICROSOFT AS A THREAT TO THEIR SOVEREIGNTY IN 2005

this one is for the brasileros que me lirem:

talk whatever shit you want about Lula, but he saw how USA was using Silicon Valley to create a new colonialist class.

the Brasilian govt was calling Microsoft the crack cocaine of the digital era. and what did Lula & his government do? SUPPORT #LINUX.

Brasil couldn’t be the anchor of BRICS and MERCOSUR without #tech #soverignty

y’all did that.

Moving away from hyperscalers seems to be a growing trend.

The reason? One respondent didn’t beat about the bush: “The risk of Trump”.

https://www.computing.co.uk/research/2026/hyperscaler-exit-plans-rise-as-it-leaders-weigh-geopolitical-exposure?utm_source=mastodon_org&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=Mar_Research

#technews #soverignty #cloud #sovereigncloud #microsoft #aws #oracle #sap

RE: https://fosstodon.org/@Gina/116141970850854978

Wow. I'm reading some of the statements in here about the suggestion of problems with data sovereignty. Apparently such an approach will:
- "disrupt global data flow" (correct, because other countries can't do what they like with it)
- "limit AI" (by protecting against companies using all data to train them?)
- "increase cybersecurity risks" (in reality it should reduce the chance of another country's government being able to get access to your data)

#cyberSecurity #opensource #soverignty

I’m Aleksandra, a 32-year-old Russian now living in Europe. Back home, from a young age, I felt state control tightening every day—surveillance cameras proliferating from almost none to nearly every street corner, social-media scanners mapping our conversations, and personal data weaponized to crush anyone who dared speak out.

Walking away from my family and the only life I knew was agonizing, but in Europe I discovered the freedom to think, to question, and to connect—liberated from constant eyes and hushed whispers. Yet even here, far from the Kremlin’s reach, I’m haunted by the knowledge that technology in the wrong hands can all too easily become a tool of oppression.

My journey—from underground activism in Kurgan Oblast*, where I bypassed state propaganda in search of the truth, to building a new life in the EU—revealed a terrifying reality: digital surveillance and data manipulation are not confined to a single regime. A handful of U.S.-based tech giants dominate the platforms we use every day—social networks, messaging apps, operating systems, and cloud services. If autocrats or rogue leaders learn to exploit these global networks, none of us, anywhere, can consider ourselves safe.

*In country of the former Soviet Union, an “oblast” is an administrative division roughly equivalent to a “region” or “province” in other countries—so “Kurgan Oblast” simply means the Kurgan Region.

Worse still, Europe’s political institutions—paralyzed by lobbying, bureaucratic inertia, and inconsistent regulations—have failed to push back. Time and again, EU policymakers have green-lit Microsoft, Google, Palantir and Amazon to embed themselves in our energy grids, healthcare systems, and manufacturing plants. Each new data center or “strategic partnership” deepens our vulnerability and erodes the very idea of European digital sovereignty.

This is no distant threat. As geopolitical tensions escalate and state-sponsored hacking grows more brazen by the day, our reliance on U.S. technology leaves us exposed—politically, economically, and personally. Every email, photo, message, or document we entrust to American servers becomes a potential entry point for manipulation, censorship, or outright sabotage.

That’s why I’m raising the alarm: we must stop treating our digital lives as a mere convenience and start treating them as the frontline in a battle for our very freedoms. It’s time for us to ask—why are we so bound to Silicon Valley’s giants, and how do we break free before it’s too late?

Why Sovereignty over Software and Hardware Matters

How to Move Away from U.S. Services and Software

Conclusion
Escaping the Russian government’s digital grip led me to see how easily any population can fall under another power’s technological dominion. For those of us outside the United States, reliance on U.S.-based services might feel inevitable—but it doesn’t have to be. By prioritizing privacy-respecting, open, and locally governed technologies, we can reclaim our digital sovereignty, protect our personal data, and foster sustainable economic growth closer to home. It’s a collective journey—and one we must begin today.

https://heartshadows.vivaldi.net/28/26/from-kurgan-oblast-russia-to-eu-a-former-russian-call-for-digital-sovereignty/

#Apple #Dependency #Europe #Facebook #FOSS #GAFAM #Google #Meta #Microsoft #Privacy #Russia #Security #Software #Soverignty #Technology #USA

 🤔
"We must hold accountable those responsible for . . .. ecocide.'" Calling for a just peace and warning of what is to come. Many interpretations of what peace means.
-Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine at UN
The term 'ecocide' really struck me. The language that we need to include in our discourse with/abt #ClimateCrisis deniers.

#ClimateChange #Nuclearsafety #Putin #Soverignty #NATO