
Hi all, Last november i wrote a post to this mailinglist, voicing my concerns about the wide use of US based cloud services at the RIPE NCC. This was just before the US elections took place. RIPE NCC (Felipe) responded to my concerns, and the last sentence of that mail was: "It is difficult to run our operations if we have to speculate on what governments can and cannot do. Instead, we apply a risk-based approach, paying close attention to the contracts we sign with these providers and ensuring that the obligations described in them give the highest possible level of privacy and security for our members." Now, a lot has happened in the world since november, and without going into every detail, i think it is safe to conclude that the US and its big tech companies can no longer be seen as reliable partners when it comes to storing our personal data. In fact it could soon become illegal for EU businesses and organisations to store personal data on US owned cloud platforms; the Transatlantic Data Privacy Framework (TADPF) that allows a free flow of EU data to US providers relies on the "Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board" (PCLOB) for oversight on data protection laws. Already in january, Mr Trump fired all democratic board members of the PCLOB, rendering the board powerless, as they now lack the required quorum necessary to operate. This means that the foundation of the TADPF has essentially been removed, and while EU organisations can still rely on the agreement as long as it's not formally annulled by the European Commission or the Court of Justice, it is now more important than ever to have a contingency plan. So, since the RIPE NCC applies a risk-based approach, my question would be: What contingency plan is there in place for the RIPE NCC? How quickly can they switch to a self hosted or "hosted in Europe" model, while still providing essential services to the members? * Some relevant links with more background information: https://noyb.eu/en/us-cloud-soon-illegal-trump-punches-first-hole-eu-us-data... https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/trump-s-sacking-of-pclob-members-threat... https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/you-can-no-longer-base-your-government-and... Timo Hilbrink Freedom Internet