Digital sovereignty has become a major strategic issue for European businesses. Between the US CLOUD Act, GDPR, and rising geopolitical tensions, where you store your data is no longer a purely technical question — it's a business decision.
What Is Digital Sovereignty?
Digital sovereignty refers to the ability of a state, organisation, or company to control its data, digital infrastructure, and technologies without excessive dependence on foreign actors.
Concretely, for a business, it means:
- Knowing precisely where your data is stored
- Controlling who can access it and under what conditions
- Choosing providers subject to compatible jurisdictions
- Reducing dependency risks on a single vendor or country
The US CLOUD Act: The Main Threat
What the CLOUD Act Allows
The CLOUD Act (2018) allows US authorities (FBI, NSA, etc.) to demand access to data held by American companies, even if that data is physically stored in Europe. Amazon (AWS), Microsoft (Azure), Google (Cloud) are all affected — even with data centres in France or Germany.
Who Is Affected?
Any business using services from: Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Zoom, Salesforce, Meta — and any service from a US-incorporated company.
How to Achieve Digital Sovereignty
Level 1: Choose European Hosts
| Provider | Country | Outside CLOUD Act | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infomaniak | Switzerland | Yes | 4.5/5 |
| OVH | France | Yes | 3.5/5 |
| Hetzner | Germany | Yes | 4/5 |
| AWS EU DC | USA (DC in EU) | No | 2/5 (sovereignty) |
Why Switzerland Is the Ideal Jurisdiction
- Non-EU member – Not subject to GDPR, but nLPD (equivalent)
- Political neutrality – No geopolitical pressure from any bloc
- Extended banking secrecy applied to data – Strong legal protection
- No access agreement with the USA – Outside CLOUD Act
- Stable infrastructure – Long tradition of institutional reliability
Infomaniak: Sovereignty by Design
- 100% Swiss – Headquarters, shareholders, data centres
- No US shareholders
- Open source code – No backdoors
- ISO 27001 certified
- 100% renewable energy
- No data commercialisation
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