This information largely flew under the radar, but it’s expected to cause a shockwave in diplomatic, economic, and technological spheres. The professional email of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor, Karim Khan, has been blocked by Microsoft.
This interruption, occurring in the context of U.S. sanctions against the ICC, tangibly proves the strategic dependence of many European institutions on American digital giants. Recently, the United States imposed sanctions against the International Criminal Court after the ICC prosecutor issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As a result, Karim Khan can no longer access his emails hosted on Microsoft, and his bank assets have been frozen in the United Kingdom.
According to Didier Testot, founder of La Bourse et la Vie TV, this situation marks the end of an era. “The time of naivety is over,” he says, echoing the words of Vice Admiral Arnaud Coustillière, former head of the cyber defense unit in France. For the latter, digital dependencies on the GAFAM are no longer just a technological issue but a strategic threat to global sovereignty.
Questioned on the matter, Microsoft defended itself by explaining that the suspension did not target the organization as a whole but was the result of “ongoing discussions” with the ICC. A difficult argument to digest for those who see it as the disciplining of an independent judicial institution by a foreign power through a private company.
In this situation, the case raises a crucial question about the strategic sovereignty of Europe. Can it still entrust its critical tools—emails, cloud, software—to providers subject to extraterritorial U.S. laws like the Cloud Act or FISA? To date, 70% of cloud services used in Europe are operated by non-European actors, Didier Testot reminds us, which leaves little room for maneuver in case of geopolitical disagreements.
What if this happened to a CAC 40 company?
Beyond the ICC case, any European company or administration could tomorrow find itself paralyzed by a unilateral decision made in Washington and enforced by a private digital actor. A scenario that, until recently, seemed like science fiction but is becoming a working hypothesis for the most clear-sighted Chief Information Officers (CIOs).
Didier Testot, therefore, calls on French companies, as well as SMEs, ETIs, local governments, and public institutions, to diversify their digital solutions. “We need to develop local, regional solutions protected by our own legal frameworks.” For him, economic intelligence should no longer be an option but a strategic priority.