June 1, 2025

Hardinxveld-Giessendam is the only Dutch municipality not using U.S. cloud services

In the Netherlands, virtually all government websites and communications rely on cloud services operated by major American technology companies—except for one municipality. Hardinxveld-Giessendam is the only municipality in the country that does not use any American cloud services for its data management, Rijnmond reported.

A recent NOS study found 1,722 websites from Dutch governmental, semi-public, and vital organizations depend on at least one American cloud provider.

“The U.S. government is ultimately in control,” ICT expert Bert Hubert told NOS. “That’s a serious risk, especially if there’s a conflict with the U.S. Intercepting communications is technically easy.”