US ambassador hits out at Dutch veto on DigiD ownership sale

The United States ambassador to the Netherlands has spoken out against the Dutch government's decision to veto the sale of DigiD, the country's national digital identity infrastructure, DutchNews reported.

The ambassador's public criticism marks an unusual diplomatic intervention by Washington into a Dutch domestic technology-governance decision. The Dutch government moved to block the sale on what it has described as national-security grounds, asserting that ownership of DigiD — used by millions of Dutch residents to access government services — is too sensitive to pass into foreign hands.

The US envoy's objection signals that American commercial or strategic interests are tied to the proposed transaction, though the identity of the prospective buyer was not specified in the wire.

The clash puts transatlantic relations under fresh strain at a moment when EU governments are under pressure to tighten scrutiny of critical digital infrastructure.