A direct result of the #patriotact , which was a bad idea at the time but now its evil has been compounded by a fascist administration.
My decision to ditch #Windows last year is looking more rational every single day.
@glynmoody #Microsoft does have one viable solution, and it would require relinquishing some control. It would work like this:
The net effect: for the cost of perhaps a few to several million Euros, is that Microsoft [US] could maintain status quo the EU, except insofar as becoming unable to violate EU or member state law at the behest of the US government. The same model can be replicated in other jurisdictions, such as #Canada, and by other multinational digital services providers, such as #Alphabet (Google).
To make this happen, EU (and other) governments can require it as a condition of continuing to do business with Microsoft (and other multinationals).
Maintaining a monolithic multinational corporation is the legal equivalent of maintaining a flat network. Internationally federating a multinational corporation is the legal equivalent of maintaining a well segmented network. In the coming years, US-based Big Tech companies will need to firewall their non-US operations off from themselves, as outline above. And non-US governments will need to mandate that. The sanctioning of the #ICC was already proof of that necessity.
@glynmoody Of course they would. Hence: "To make this happen, EU (and other) governments can require it as a condition of continuing to do business with Microsoft (and other multinationals)."
If they develop, publish, and budget for a plausible plan to transition off all #Microsoft software and infrastructure over the next, say, four or five years, that can be the shot across the bow. If they do so not by naming Microsoft, but by characterizing in legislation digital infrastructure suppliers based on their headquarters, the nationality and residence of their officers, and the nationality and residence of their shareholders, they give Microsoft an intentional loophole. Then the only way to retain that revenue is to restructure, as outlined above.
Émile Durkheim
Glyn Moody
Ehay2k
SouthFresh
Bandersnatch
David