Should Europe get rid of American technology?

Imagine if US President Donald Trump could flip the conversion and turn off the Internet in Europe.

It sounds far-fetched, even crazy. But this is a serious discussion of the technology industry and policy community in the technology industry and policy community, and concerns about the EU’s reliance on U.S. technology have surfaced.

The root of these concerns is that in fact there are only three American giants – Google, Microsoft and Amazon – Provide 70% In Europe’s cloud computing infrastructure, many online services rely on scaffolding.

And there are questions about whether an unpredictable American leader would weaponize the situation if the relationship worsens – for example, by ordering these companies to shut down their services in Europe.

“Critical data will become inaccessible, websites will turn black, and basic state services such as hospital IT systems will fall into chaos,” said Robin Berjon, a digital governance expert recommended by EU policymakers.

He believes that concerns about the so-called “kill switch” should be taken seriously. “It’s hard to say how much trouble we will have.”

Microsoft, Google and Amazon all say they offer “sovereign” cloud computing solutions to protect EU clients’ data and prevent this from happening. The BBC has contacted the U.S. Treasury for comment.

In fact, there has been concerns about Europe’s lack of “digital sovereignty”, where American companies dominate not only the cloud computing market, but also the hardware, satellite internet and now artificial intelligence.

Even the region’s major mobile operating systems – Apple and Android – and payment networks – Mastercard and visa – are also the United States.

These concerns amid the emergence of May, Karim Khan, then the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court (ICC), lost access to his Microsoft Outlook email account after being approved by the White House.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against top Israeli officials, including Benjamin Netanyahu, their role in Israel’s Gaza war – what Mr Trump calls “it’s”illegal”.

Since then, Khan has taken a step back temporarily Sexual misconduct detection Oppose him to come to a conclusion.

Microsoft says it keeps in touch with ICC “During the entire process that leads to disconnection.”

Since then, digital sovereignty has set up an agenda in Brussels, and some public institutions are already seeking alternatives to U.S. providers.

But is it realistic to think they can get rid of American technology?

Digital sovereignty is loosely defined as the ability of governing agencies to control data and technical systems within their boundaries.

One problem faced by those who pursue it is the lack of comparable alternatives.

Europe does have its own providers in cloud computing, such as Ovhcloud in France or T-Systems or Delos in Germany.

Dario Maisto, a senior analyst with digital sovereignty at Forrester, a global business consulting firm, said they make up a small part of the market and do not have the same size or functionality.

Similarly, open source alternatives are suitable for common packages such as offices and Windows, but proponents say they are more transparent and easy to use, but not one is as comprehensive or well-known.

But while moving to a sovereign alternative won’t “take overnight”, it’s considered impossible “myth”.

He noted that Schlesz-Holstein, in Germany, is currently phased out Microsoft products (such as Office 365 and Windows) and favors open source solutions such as Libreoffice and Linux. Denmark’s Ministry of Digital is driving a similar plan.

“Sometimes we overestimate the role of proprietary software in an organization,” Mr Maisto said, “Open source solutions work well.

He added: “The main reason organizations don’t use open source is a lack of awareness and misplaced fear of cybersecurity.”

“Our forecast is that there will be an accelerated shift over the next five to ten years. [to these solutions] Because of this wake-up call. ”

Ovhcloud boss Benjamin Revcolevschi told the BBC that companies like him are ready to answer the sovereign needs of public and private organizations in Europe.

“Only European cloud providers whose headquarters are based in the EU and in governance in Europe can provide immunity to non-European laws to protect sensitive and personal data,” he said.

But Microsoft, Amazon and Google say they have provided solutions to the concerns about digital sovereignty, which are solutions to store data in customer countries or regions rather than in the U.S.

Google told the BBC it also works with trusted local EU suppliers such as T-Systems to grant them control over the encryption of customer data and provide customers with “technical veto.” The German army is one of its clients.

Meanwhile, Microsoft President Brad Smith promised that the company will be in “Extremely impossible” The U.S. government has ordered a suspension of services and includes an effect in its European contract.

A Microsoft spokesman told the BBC: “We will continue to find new ways to ensure that the European Commission and our European customers are confident in the options and guarantees needed to operate.”

Zach Meyers from the CERRE think tank in Brussels, said it might make sense for Europe to develop its own limited sovereign cloud to protect critical government data.

But he added that trying to “get Americans out of the supply chain, or make sure there are Europeans in every point supply chain” is unrealistic.

He pointed to Gaia X- a plan to launch in 2020 to create a European-based alternative for a large centralized cloud platform that faces significant criticism and delays.

“a lot of [tech] The market is the winner, so once you are the first promoters, it will be hard for anyone else to catch up. ”

Instead, Mr. Meyers believes that Europe should focus on the areas of technology that may gain advantages.

“This may be the industrial use of artificial intelligence, because Europe already has a larger and stronger industrial base than the United States,” he said. “Or next-generation chip manufacturing equipment, because one of the few areas in which Europe has a foothold is lithography – making machines that truly high-end chips.”

So, where does the digital sovereignty agenda come from here?

Some believe that no one will change unless Europe proposes new regulations that force regional organizations and governments to buy local technology. But according to Mr. Belljon, the EU has been dragging its feet.

“There is certainly a political interest, but it’s a matter of turning it into a common strategy.”

Matthias Bauer, director of the European Center for International Political and Economics, believes that the goal should be to establish European technology departments so that it can compete with the United States and China.

Mario Draghi, former head of the European Central Bank, pointed out in a report on EU competitiveness that Europe is “seriously behind” in new technologies, and “only four of the world’s top 50 technology companies are Europeans.”

“At present, it’s much harder to expand across the entire group for a technology company in the EU than it is in the US,” Ball said.

“You are not only facing different languages, but also different contract laws, labor market laws, tax laws, and specific regulations for different departments.”

As for the theory that President Trump may flip the “kill switch” and turn off the European internet, he is very skeptical.

“If we get close to war, it would be a realistic situation, but I can’t see that.”

However, Mr. Meisto said that organizations must take risks seriously, no matter how far away.

“Two years ago, we didn’t think we would talk about these topics in these terms in 2025. Now, the organization wants to be prepared for what could happen.”