{
  "id": 15970464,
  "title": "‘That is a mirage’ – Sam George on foreign cloud data-sovereignty assurances",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/that-is-a-mirage-sam-george-on-foreign-cloud-data-sovereignty",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-21T22:21:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/that-is-a-mirage-sam-george-on-foreign-cloud-data-sovereignty-assurances/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Sam Nartey George has questioned the assurances provided by foreign cloud providers regarding data control. During a discussion on AI and the Ghana Economy at Joy News’ Digital Economy Forum, George pointed out that such assurances could create a false sense of security for African companies. “That is a mirage that is sold to many African companies, not just Ghanaian companies,” he stated. His main concern was whether private agreements could protect data from U.S. legal access. George referenced the U.S. Cloud Act as the reason for his caution. He argued that the law allows the U.S. government to access data stored by American tech companies, regardless of the assurances given to customers. George had challenged big providers, such as Google and Amazon Web Services, over these assurances. “I’ve had this back and forth with Google and Amazon Web Services, where they give you all kinds of agreements that say you are protected and data sovereign,” he noted. George insisted that contractual assurances could not override U.S. legislation. “But the U.S. Cloud Act is an act of Congress that supersedes any such arrangement that they may have with you as a private company,” he emphasized. The minister highlighted the importance of health records, emphasizing the need for careful consideration when signing cloud agreements and using digital platforms. This warning added to the broader conversation at the forum about developing skills essential for Ghana’s digital economy.",
  "summary": "Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Sam Nartey George has challenged assurances that agreements with foreign cloud providers guarantee control over data.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}