France Replaces Microsoft with Scaleway for Health Data
The French government has appointed Iliad subsidiary Scaleway to manage its Health Data Hub. This move follows a 2024 law requiring sovereign data protection.
France has officially selected Scaleway, a subsidiary of the telecommunications group Iliad, to host its national Health Data Hub. This decision marks a significant shift in the country's data sovereignty strategy, as it replaces MICROSOFT CORP in a role that has faced years of legal and political opposition. The transition aims to ensure that the sensitive medical records of tens of millions of citizens are stored on infrastructure protected from foreign judicial reach.
The move follows a 2024 French law requiring sensitive state data to be hosted on sovereign-guaranteed cloud services. This legislation was specifically designed to exclude providers subject to the United States Cloud Act, which allows American authorities to demand data stored by U.S. companies regardless of where the servers are located. During a Senate inquiry, representatives from the American tech giant acknowledged the legal limitations of their position.
