The enormous dependence on American big tech companies is making universities uneasy. What if President Trump has a sudden impulse? Will we in the Netherlands still be able to conduct free research and decide for ourselves what education we provide?

Academic freedom is at stake, said Utrecht university professor José van Dijck on Monday during a meeting of the umbrella organization UNL. There, universities and the responsible state secretary agreed in a “letter of intent” to work together with the national government on the digital sovereignty of the Netherlands.

In addition to the ICT directors of universities collaborating with UNL and the government, a small working group within TU/e’s Library and Information Services (LIS) is also actively engaged in digital independence. 

This group is currently exploring and mapping out possible directions and future scenarios, so the university can better determine which course of action is both desirable and feasible.

Leading the way

Universities want to take the lead in this, said UNL chair Caspar van den Berg. After all, they have a long tradition in IT research. Moreover, the sector is already working on its digital autonomy. There are all kinds of initiatives and alternatives, including through SURF.

But greater autonomy will come at a cost, warned José van Dijck. Not only because transitioning from one software package to another is currently very expensive, but also because far more IT staff will be needed. They will have to take over work that is now handled for universities by companies like Microsoft.

According to Van Dijck, usability will also suffer. The switch is still necessary, she argued, because with big tech we are increasingly losing control over our own data and are becoming further locked into the software funnel of a single company.

Applause

At the meeting, State Secretary for Digital Economy and Sovereignty Willemijn Aerdts received spontaneous applause when her decision to block the sale of Solvinity was mentioned. Solvinity is the British-Dutch company behind DigiD that was set to be acquired by a U.S. company. According to Aerdts, that would not serve the “public interest.”

On Monday, she welcomed the fact that universities want to take on a pioneering role. But she also warned that it will still take a lot of time before we are free from big tech. “You would want it to have been arranged yesterday, but this is really very complex.”

By signing the letter of intent, Aerdts is fulfilling a wish of the House of Representatives. Last year, it called on the government to explore how it can help universities of applied sciences and universities move away from big tech. The idea was that the national government can also learn from this process.

HOP, Olmo Linthorst & Bridget Alcione Spoor

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.