European governments are reevaluating their reliance on American tech following Microsoft's shutdown of ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan's email account after US sanctions. This action, seen as a precedent, fueled concerns about US companies' compliance with potential future sanctions against European entities. Microsoft claims policy changes are in place to prevent similar incidents and announced "sovereign solutions" for European institutions. Some ICC staff have already switched to alternative providers like Proton.

Prepared by Jonathan Pierce and reviewed by editorial team.