Why this German state is banning Microsoft Teams and other tools from its government operations

The German state of Schleswig-Holstein is set to ban Microsoft Teams and other software programs developed by the tech giant from its government operations, a report claims. This change will reportedly affect nearly all civil servants, police officers and judges within less than three months. With this move, it wants to “take back control” over data storage and ensure “digital sovereignty,” Dirk Schroedter, the German state’s digitalisation minister, said to the news agency AFP. While speaking on a video call via an open-source German program, Schroedter said, “We’re done with (Microsoft) Teams.” The report adds that this switch-over will impact about half of Schleswig-Holstein’s 60,000 public servants, with nearly 30,000 teachers expected to follow in the coming years.