When Swisscom integrates foreign hyperscalers such as Microsoft Azure into Swiss life, you might think it’s adding a pinch of “global spice” to our digital soup. But despite the attempt to “Helvetize” these global technology giants, one critical point often remains in the background: American law snaps everywhere, even across the pond!
This is where the CLOUDAct comes into play, a US law that allows the authorities there to access data stored by US companies under certain circumstances – regardless of whether it is stored on a server in Alabama or in Appenzell. For us in Switzerland, where data protection is more sacred than the secret recipe for cheese, this is naturally a thorn in the side.
So you could say Swisscom is playing a bit of “technological matchmaker” here, but the date could quickly be crashed by the US judiciary.
Swisscom’s efforts to make the American tech giants palatable locally could therefore be more than just a technical challenge. They are a dance on the legal tightrope. But there is no double bottom in this balancing act.
In conclusion, there is no true Helvetization of hyperscalers. If you want true Swissness and therefore digital sovereignty, you need to ensure that your data is not only stored in Switzerland, but also operated by a Swiss IT provider.
