Every free service you take from Big Tech is an investment by Big Tech in your dependency. Is there another way? Yes, there is.

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In response to US sanctions, Microsoft blocked the account of the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). As a result of the sanction order, it is prohibited to provide support to the ICC, and to the chief prosecutor in particular. 

It is not difficult to understand that your investigation gets delayed if you lose access to your e-mail or cloud environment. In recent weeks, former Bits of Freedom director Ot van Daalen wrote about how some specific sectors in the Netherlands have become dependent on US tech services. The Supreme Court of the Netherlands, which will soon rule on whether the Netherlands can continue exporting F35 parts to Israel, runs largely on Microsoft, and “our modern ‘printing presses’ [...] are mainly controlled by American tech giants such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google.” What happens when a Dutch investigation, ruling, or article doesn't appeal to Trump? 

You may be thinking that Trump has bigger fish to fry. You're probably right. Still, the risks are sufficient that you would expect more mitigating measures than ‘hoping for the best’. But this seems to be the exact approach of the Netherlands. Just like Homer Simpson, we’re backing into the bushes, hoping that Trump won't look our way. 

It's no different in civil society. In 2023, we completed a study on the use of technology by NGOs. One of our most important findings? Of the 19 organizations we spoke to, eight were completely or largely dependent on Google or Microsoft. They justified this with the usual arguments: it’s free, easy to use, and a force of habit. 

Free, easy, force of habit, and not to forget, a dash of Big Tech’s long-term strategy. 

Google's free “Google for Nonprofits” accounts give NGOs 24/7 tech support and all kinds of other free stuff like ad space and data visualization tools. Anyone who visits the TechSoup website, an “IT marketplace for nonprofits,” is welcomed with a full-screen advertisement for Microsoft. Amazon ‘credits’ are also part of the welcome package: “The Amazon Web Services (AWS) Credit Program offers credits for cloud computing services to eligible nonprofit organizations and public libraries.” Meh. 

Our dependence on Big Tech is no accident. It is essential to Big Tech, and monitoring and increasing this dependency is a crucial part of its strategy. Every free service from Big Tech that you use is a way Big Tech invests in your dependency. It is also a distraction from the fact that the walls around you are getting higher and higher. The incident at the ICC shows what the concrete consequences of this can be for organizations. 

Is there another way? Yes, there is. There are more and more initiatives trying to build and maintain social infrastructures. But independent host and service providers have a hard time finding their potential customers. And vice versa, organizations don't always know where to look or what to ask for. 

That's why we're going to do a little matchmaking this year. Help us build a resilient counterforce! More to follow on this soon.