cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/55550318
The extent of dependence on the USA in the digital sector is currently being experienced by a French judge. Nicolas Guillou, one of six judges and three prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC), was sanctioned by the USA in August. He described his current situation as a digital time travel back to the 1990s, before the internet age, in a recent interview.
The reason for the US sanctions are the arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. They were indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the context of the destruction of the Gaza Strip. The USA condemned this decision by the court, whereupon the US Treasury Department sanctioned six judges and three prosecutors.
Digitally excluded from almost everything In Guillou’s daily life, this means that he is excluded from digital life and much of what is considered standard today, he told the French newspaper Le Monde. All his accounts with US companies such as Amazon, Airbnb, or PayPal were immediately closed by the providers. Online bookings, such as through Expedia, are immediately canceled, even if they concern hotels in France. Participation in e-commerce is also practically no longer possible for him, as US companies always play a role in one way or another, and they are strictly forbidden to enter into any trade relationship with sanctioned individuals.
The more they use their power, the more they lose it.
Now that they gave us an easy way to know the extent at which we need to change the system to make sure we can be independent of them, we can start working on doing so.
Online bookings, such as through Expedia, are immediately canceled, even if they concern hotels in France.
I kinda wonder about that, hotel bookings usually require name and contact information only. So does Expedia and/or participating hotels blacklist all individuals with the name “Nicolas Guillou”, or is it based on email address / phone number (that could easily be changed)?
This is absolutely fucked up. The people that received arrest warrants against should clearly be in prison, yet he is the man that ultimately suffers. We live in a backwards world.
Tbh - you can just not use american services. It’s not hard ffs.
I read an article yesterday that explains that it’s still a bit hard :
- he can’t use his bank account in most foreign countries
- he can’t use most online marketplaces (non american ones may use american databases), plus they probably make you checkout through Visa
- he says he can’t have any credit card, this surprises me because I thought France had its own network “CB”, but I guess one card must interface with several systems (Visa, Mastercard, CB usually?)
(French and paywalled, sorry) https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2025/11/19/nicolas-guillou-juge-francais-de-la-cpi-sanctionne-par-les-etats-unis-face-aux-attaques-les-magistrats-de-la-cour-tiendront_6654016_3210.html?search-type=classic&ise_click_rank=6
Working for CPI he probably is living in the Netherlands, where there are no card-based alternatives to the usual emvco guys. Many shops accept only maestro cards (and vpay, sometimes)
I was on vacation in the Netherlands recently and the card acceptance at some stores that were not really catering to tourists was really confusing. I was at Albert Heijn twice where all my Swiss cards (including debit maestro) did not work at all, my Revolut card did not work either, only my US issued Capital One Visa card worked. Never had such issues anywhere else.
I really hope Wero and Twint will work out interoperability and finally start covering all of Europe.
Of course you can live with cash and relying on relatives when you really can find another solution. But this kind of intimidation on a judge is absolutely fucked up. (Right now it seems it is just a Monday in the USA, but in Europe we are not there yet)
