Europeans seek 'digital sovereignty' as US tech firms embrace Trump
BERLIN (Reuters) -At a market stall in Berlin run by charity Topio, volunteers help people who want to purge their phones of the influence of U.S. tech firms. Since Donald Trump's inauguration, the queue for their services has grown.
Interest in European-based digital services has jumped in recent months, data from digital market intelligence company Similarweb shows. More people are looking for e-mail, messaging and even search providers outside the United States.
The first months of Trump's second presidency have shaken some Europeans' confidence in their long-time ally, after he signalled his country would step back from its role in Europe's security and then launched a trade war.
"It's about the concentration of power in U.S. firms," said Topio's founder Michael Wirths, as his colleague installed on a customer's phone a version of the Android operating system without hooks into the Google ecosystem.
Wirths said the type of people coming to the stall had changed: "Before, it was people who knew a lot about data privacy. Now it's people who are politically aware and feel exposed."
Tesla chief Elon Musk, who also owns social media company X, was a leading adviser to the U.S. president before the two fell out, while the bosses of Amazon, Meta and Google-owner Alphabet took prominent spots at Trump's inauguration in January.
Days before Trump took office, outgoing president Joe Biden had warned of an oligarchic "tech industrial complex" threatening democracy.
Berlin-based search engine Ecosia says it has benefited from some customers' desire to avoid U.S. counterparts like Microsoft's Bing or Google, which dominates web searches and is also the world's biggest email provider.
"The worse it gets, the better it is for us," founder Christian Kroll said of Ecosia, whose sales pitch is that it spends its profits on environmental projects.
Similarweb data shows the number of queries directed to Ecosia from the European Union has risen 27% year-on-year and the company says it has 1% of the German search engine market.
But its 122 million visits from the 27 EU countries in February were dwarfed by 10.3 billion visits to Google, whose parent Alphabet made revenues of about $100 billion from Europe, the Middle East and Africa in 2024 - nearly a third of its $350 billion global turnover.
Non-profit Ecosia earned 3.2 million euros ($3.65 million) in April, of which 770,000 euros was spent on planting 1.1 million trees.
Google declined to comment for this story.
Reuters could not determine whether major U.S. tech companies have lost any market share to local rivals in Europe.
DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY
The search for alternative providers accompanies a debate in Europe about "digital sovereignty" - the idea that reliance on companies from an increasingly isolationist United States is a threat to Europe's economy and security.
"Ordinary people, the kind of people who would never have thought it was important they were using an American service are saying, 'hang on!'," said UK-based internet regulation expert Maria Farrell. "My hairdresser was asking me what she should switch to."
Use in Europe of Swiss-based ProtonMail rose 11.7% year-on-year to March compared to a year ago, according to Similarweb, while use of Alphabet's Gmail, which has some 70% of the global email market, slipped 1.9%.
ProtonMail, which offers both free and paid-for services, said it had seen an increase in users from Europe since Trump's re-election, though it declined to give a number.
"My household is definitely disengaging," said British software engineer Ken Tindell, citing weak U.S. data privacy protections as one factor.
Trump's vice president JD Vance shocked European leaders in February by accusing them - at a conference usually known for displays of transatlantic unity - of censoring free speech and failing to control immigration.
In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened visa bans for people who "censor" speech by Americans, including on social media, and suggested the policy could target foreign officials regulating U.S. tech companies.
U.S. social media companies like Facebook and Instagram parent Meta have said the European Union's Digital Services Act amounts to censorship of their platforms.
EU officials say the Act will make the online environment safer by compelling tech giants to tackle illegal content, including hate speech and child sexual abuse material.
Greg Nojeim, director of the Security and Surveillance Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology, said Europeans' concerns about the U.S. government accessing their data, whether stored on devices or in the cloud, were justified.
Not only does U.S. law permit the government to search devices of anyone entering the country, it can compel disclosure of data that Europeans outside the U.S. store or transmit through U.S. communications service providers, Nojeim said.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE?
Germany's new government is itself making efforts to reduce exposure to U.S. tech, committing in its coalition agreement to make more use of open-source data formats and locally-based cloud infrastructure.
Regional governments have gone further - in conservative-run Schleswig-Holstein, on the Danish border, all IT used by the public administration must run on open-source software.
Berlin has also paid for Ukraine to access a satellite-internet network operated by France's Eutelsat instead of Musk's Starlink.
But with modern life driven by technology, "completely divorcing U.S. tech in a very fundamental way is, I would say, possibly not possible," said Bill Budington of U.S. digital rights nonprofit the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Everything from push notifications to the content delivery networks powering many websites and how internet traffic is routed relies largely on U.S. companies and infrastructure, Budington noted.
Both Ecosia and French-based search engine Qwant depend in part on search results provided by Google and Microsoft's Bing, while Ecosia runs on cloud platforms, some hosted by the very same tech giants it promises an escape from.
Nevertheless, a group on messaging board Reddit called BuyFromEU has 211,000 members.
"Just cancelled my Dropbox and will switch to Proton Drive," read one post.
Mastodon, a decentralised social media service developed by German programmer Eugen Rochko, enjoyed a rush of new users two years ago when Musk bought Twitter, later renamed X. But it remains a niche service.
Signal, a messaging app run by a U.S. nonprofit foundation, has also seen a surge in installations from Europe. Similarweb's data showed a 7% month-on-month increase in Signal usage in March, while use of Meta's WhatsApp was static.
Meta declined to comment for this story. Signal did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment.
But this kind of conscious self-organising is unlikely on its own to make a dent in Silicon Valley's European dominance, digital rights activist Robin Berjon told Reuters.
"The market is too captured," he said. "Regulation is needed as well."
(Additional reporting by Riham Alkousaa in Berlin, Charlie Devereux in Madrid, Toby Sterling in Amsterdam and AJ Vicens in Detroit; Editing by Catherine Evans)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
US immigration crackdown: Are masked ICE agents creating a ‘secret police' in America?
Protesters in Los Angeles conducted a loud overnight demonstration outside a hotel, aiming to disrupt US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents over the agency's aggressive tactics. The 'No Sleep For ICE' rallies highlight growing public anger and fear among immigrant communities and some Americans regarding the agency's methods, including masked agents and the detention of US citizens. Critics, including a think tank fellow and California lawmakers, have raised concerns about federal agents wearing masks, likening the practice to a 'secret police' and introducing legislation to restrict it. LOS ANGELES, June 22 — After night fell on the outskirts of Los Angeles on Thursday, around 50 people clanged metal pots and blasted air horns outside a hotel in a noisy bedtime protest targeting US immigration agents. The 'No Sleep For ICE' rally underscored growing anger at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a once obscure agency that has become the focal point of President Donald Trump's migrant crackdown. 'They terrorise our community the entire day. Why do they get a good night's sleep?' said Nathanael Landaverde, 23, who banged a dismantled frying pan at the protest. Dramatic images have shown federal agents, often masked and sometimes armed with assault rifles, chasing down migrants and handcuffing them at courthouses, farms and on the streets. ICE officials have also detained some US citizens for allegedly intervening in arrests, including a mayoral candidate in New York this week. The heavy-handed approach has sparked fear among immigrants and infuriated many Americans, particularly in liberal cities such as Los Angeles, where large-scale street protests erupted this month over ICE raids. 'If they do not sleep they are not going to do their job effectively. They are going to get fewer people,' added Landaverde, as passing vehicles honked in apparent support for the late-night rally. It was not certain whether ICE agents were staying at the three-star hotel, but protest organisers claimed to have photo evidence. Dozens of people danced to a deafening cacophony as they waved signs reading 'No rest for ICE' and 'ICE out of LA' towards the hotel, where some guests peered through the curtains. One woman simply screamed into a megaphone. Another man wore earmuffs as he blasted distorted white noise through a speaker. 'They are ripping families apart, and it is horrifying to watch in my community. They cannot sleep if they are going to do that here,' said Juliet Austin, 22, who was playing a small blue accordion. A man is detained as clashes break out after community members pushed back against a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) attempt to raid a store in Bell, just south of Los Angeles, California, on June 20, 2025. — AFP pic 'Secret police' Trump was elected to a second term in large part for his promise to deport thousands of migrants. But alongside their aggressive tactics, critics have denounced federal immigration agents for wearing face masks to hide their identities — a highly unusual but legal practice in US law enforcement. 'At what point will we as a nation find ourselves with a secret police?' Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute think tank, wrote last month. 'For the Trump administration, turning masked raids into standard practice fits into a wider effort to dodge accountability for potentially illegal and unconstitutional actions,' he added. In California, lawmakers have introduced the 'No Secret Police Act' that would restrict federal agents from wearing masks. Federal officials have rejected this criticism by claiming that agents wear masks to protect them from potential reprisals. Meanwhile, ICE has frequently boasted about its activities and posted pictures of detained migrants on social media. And it crucially still enjoys Trump's support, who last weekend praised ICE agents' 'incredible strength, determination, and courage.' Still, anger over ICE looks unlikely to go away as long as immigration arrests continue, and protesters Thursday were adamant they would not back down. 'I think it is a modern Gestapo here in America,' said Austin, a dance teacher. 'This city is not the one to mess with... We are not going to let it happen. We are not tired,' she added. — AFP
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Turkey detains prominent journalist for allegedly threatening Erdogan
ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish authorities detained prominent independent journalist Fatih Altayli on Saturday over social media comments allegedly threatening President Tayyip Erdogan, the Istanbul prosecutor's office said. Altayli, who has more than 1.51 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, posted a video on Friday referencing an unnamed poll showing 70% of Turks opposed Erdogan ruling for life, saying this would "never be allowed" by the Turkish people. Altayli also referenced past Ottoman rulers in his comments, saying people had "drowned", "killed", or "assassinated them in the past." His comments drew backlash from an Erdogan aide, Oktay Saral, who said on X that Altayli's "water was boiling". In a statement, the Istanbul prosecutor's office said the comments from Altayli "contained threats" against Erdogan, and said an investigation has been launched against him. Legal representation for Altayli could not immediately be reached for comment. Altayli's detention comes amid a series of detentions of opposition figures in recent months, including the arrest in March of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu who is Erdogan's main political rival. The main opposition CHP says the detentions and arrests of its members, along with other opposition members and journalists or media personalities, is a politicised move by the government to muzzle dissent and eliminate electoral challenges to Erdogan. The government denies these claims, saying the judiciary and Turkey's courts are independent. Turkish authorities have in the past carried out widespread detentions and arrests against opposition politicians, namely pro-Kurdish local authorities. More than 150 people jailed so far over what Erdogan's government says is a ring of corruption that the CHP denies. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; editing by Diane Craft)
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
DR Congo extends suspension of cobalt exports by three months
KINSHASA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has extended its temporary suspension of cobalt exports for an additional three months, citing persistently high inventory levels in both domestic and international markets. The move follows a four-month export halt announced in February. The extension was announced on Saturday by the DRC's Regulatory and Oversight Authority for Strategic Mineral Substances Markets (ARECOMS), the national body responsible for regulating the trade of critical mineral substances. Established in 2019, ARECOMS oversees the regulation of strategic minerals such as coltan, cobalt and germanium. Its mandate includes stabilizing markets, formalizing the artisanal sector, and ensuring compliance with international anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulations. According to an official statement, the extended ban covers all cobalt extracted from industrial, semi-industrial, small-scale and artisanal mining operations, and takes effect immediately from the date of signature, June 21. ARECOMS said that a new decision will be issued before the end of the suspension period, which may either modify, extend, or lift the current export ban, depending on market developments. According to London-based data analytics and consulting firm GlobalData, the DRC's cobalt production is projected to reach 244 kilotonnes in 2024. The country is the world's largest cobalt producer, supplying over 80 percent of global output. Cobalt is a critical raw material used across various industries, particularly in the production of rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, smartphones, and other electronic devices. The DRC's cobalt mining industry is primarily concentrated in the Katanga region, where both industrial and artisanal operations are prevalent.
