Follow the Money: The Podcast Europeans' health data in ex-Israeli spies' hands
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Nov 5, 2025 Sebastiaan Brommersma, a reporter and investigator for Follow the Money, delves into alarming findings about the tech company Zivver, which supposedly safeguards sensitive health data. He reveals that Zivver can access private messages and discusses its acquisition by Kiteworks, a firm linked to former Israeli spies, raising national security concerns. The conversation explores U.S. laws like the Cloud Act, potential misuse of data, and the implications for digital sovereignty in Europe. Brommersma emphasizes a worrying loss of control over European citizens' data.
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Platform Receives Messages In Plain Text
- Zivver (Cifr) can technically read messages because it receives them in plain text before re-encrypting them.
- That design flaw existed before Kiteworks' takeover and makes sensitive European data reachable by the company.
What Zivver Actually Handles
- Zivver handles communications for Dutch courts, hospitals, insurers and governments across several EU countries.
- That means messages include medical records, financial details, addresses and sometimes classified information.
US Laws Can Reach European Data
- After Kiteworks bought Zivver, US laws like the Cloud Act and FISA can compel data access even for data held in Europe.
- That extraterritorial reach makes European citizens' sensitive data vulnerable to US government requests.