In a tribune published in Le Monde, David Monniaux, a CNRS research director, warns of the risks of Europe's digital dependency on US web giants subject to American legislation. He imagines a hypothetical scenario where Donald Trump orders GAFAM to halt cloud services for European governments. This vulnerability is illustrated by real cases like Microsoft handing over data to US authorities.
During the summer of 2025, Microsoft confirmed it would hand over user data to US authorities if requested, even if stored in France. This applies the US Cloud Act of 2018, which takes precedence over European obligations for a company under American jurisdiction.
David Monniaux highlights current geopolitical tensions: Donald Trump considers withdrawing US support from NATO as Russian military aircraft violate member countries' airspace. He also ordered retaliatory measures against the International Criminal Court's prosecutor, Karim Khan. Microsoft, which manages IT services for the court, cut off this magistrate's email access.
In a plausible fictional scenario, Monniaux imagines Trump ordering GAFAM – Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft – to cease cloud services for the French government, public services, or armies, for instance if France hindered his 'peace plan' in Ukraine. Although this would breach contracts and French and European rights, the author argues that the US government often disregards international law, as in its ambitions to occupy Greenland or sinking suspected drug boats in international waters.
Monniaux urges objectively examining these dependencies on potentially hostile foreign operators and remedying them. This situation stems from a historical refusal to consider the geopolitical and long-term implications of technical and commercial choices.