The Dutch government has blocked US IT giant Kindril from acquiring Solvency, the Dutch cloud provider that hosts the Netherlands’ online identity platform. The government in The Hague said the deal posed a “potential risk to the public interest”.
Willemijn Aardts, Dutch Minister for the Digital Economy, said a machine-translated letter Published on Monday the government has imposed a “complete ban” on takeovers. The deal would have allowed Kinderil to purchase Solvency for an undisclosed sum. Solvency hosts a platform called DigiD, a service managed by the Dutch government that allows residents of the country to verify their identity when accessing public services.
The deal raised fears that the deal would mean DigiD data would fall under foreign control, and could be requisitioned by US authorities.
Although the Dutch government has not given any clear reason for halting the acquisition, the move comes as many European countries are moving to reduce their dependence on US technology giants at a time when the Trump administration… increasingly unpredictable and vindictive.
American law allows Government officials, including law enforcement and intelligence agencies, demand that US companies turn over data held in foreign datacenters, regardless of that country’s data protection laws.
politico first reported news. Kirdrill told the publication that the company was “extremely disappointed” by the decision.
