November 6, 2025
Inbox unplugged, EU plugged in
ICC ditches Microsoft 365 for openDesk
ICC breaks up with Microsoft; internet asks: “No Excel? Is it really open?”
TLDR: The ICC is ditching Microsoft 365 for Europe’s open‑source Open Desk after political tensions and a prosecutor’s Outlook lockout. Commenters cheer digital independence but question if Open Desk is truly open—and worry there’s no Excel equivalent—seeing this as a potential EU-wide shift in government tech.
The International Criminal Court just told Microsoft 365, “It’s not us, it’s politics,” and is moving to Open Desk, a European open‑source suite from Germany’s Zendis. Cue the comments section meltdown. One camp is cheering digital independence after years of U.S. hostility toward the ICC (remember when the chief prosecutor suddenly lost Outlook access?). The other camp is side‑eyeing the switch, asking if this shiny new thing is actually open and ready for real work. Skeptics immediately hunted for code and docs, with users demanding repo links and posting Open Desk’s site. The meme of the day: “No Excel replacement?” became the running joke, because let’s be honest—spreadsheets run the world. Hotter takes roasted the ICC for trusting Microsoft in the first place, calling it “borderline incompetent” to rely on a U.S. cloud given long‑standing political pressure under multiple administrations. Microsoft says services to ICC weren’t stopped, just the prosecutor was “disconnected,” but commenters aren’t exactly buying the nuance. Meanwhile, EU fans are hyped: Open Desk sits inside the EU’s Digital Commons (EDIC) push, and the Netherlands is already testing it for government email under “Mijn Bureau.” Will this spark a wider public sector trend? The comments say it will—if Open Desk is truly open and can handle those Excel‑level headaches.
Key Points
- •The ICC is replacing Microsoft 365 with Open Desk, a European open-source alternative.
- •Microsoft confirmed the change to Euractiv and said it remains able to serve the ICC in future.
- •Concerns over reliance on U.S. tech in European public institutions have intensified since Donald Trump’s second term.
- •AP reported ICC prosecutor Karim Khan lost access to Outlook; Microsoft confirmed he was disconnected but said ICC services continued.
- •Open Desk was developed by Zendis for Germany’s Interior Ministry; it’s part of EU efforts via DC-EDIC, and the Netherlands is piloting it in "Mijn Bureau".