"#Proton’s latest analysis reveals the extent of Europe’s dependence on US-based tech, and the results are alarming. We found that 74% of Europe’s publicly listed companies rely on US-based tech like #Google and #Microsoft." 1/2
#ICYMI "The challenge is not simply to build...nationalistic alternatives, but to develop alternative visions for the role of computing in society that prioritize people over profit maximization...emancipatory digital futures will only emerge when we transcend not just technological dependencies but also the limited political and economic imaginations that constrain how we conceive, fund, and build alternatives." https://www.techpolicy.press/clouds-over-public-infrastructure-rethinking-internet-governance-in-the-hyperscaler-era/ re: the need for more than just a #EuroStack
"The challenge is not simply to build a “Dutch cloud” or “European #cloud” as nationalistic alternatives, but to develop alternative visions for the role of computing in society that prioritize people over profit maximization," writes @C__CS in this excellent critique of Europe's #DigitalSovereignty debate and the so-called #EuroStack.
https://www.techpolicy.press/clouds-over-public-infrastructure-rethinking-internet-governance-in-the-hyperscaler-era/
"Meanwhile, almost all of Europe has chosen to make itself utterly dependent for new services on the three big US cloud providers, with no way of going back. And since the US is (at best) a decaying democracy at this point, this is a worrying situation...Microsoft has just admitted, under oath, that it indeed can’t protect European data from the US government...the cost of just giving up means becoming a digital colony, out of laziness" https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/our-self-inflicted-cloud-crisis/ re: #EuroStack et al.
Alexandre Roure of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, whose members include many Big Tech groups, says the debate about blunt market access restrictions for non-EU tech companies “only distracts policymakers from the real task: finally delivering a functioning digital single market with clear, simple and practical rules”.
In private conversations, several Big Tech lobbyists and executives also express confidence in their ability to continue dominating the European market given the paucity of homegrown alternatives and the lack of urgency among many consumers.
by Barbara Moens for FT: https://archive.is/20250725082920/https://www.ft.com/content/5e25c397-61d1-4b48-b5c5-65561a4c9df2 via @Ruth_Mottram 
Buried in Proton's AI announcement today is a pretty shocking detail about their service 
Because of legal uncertainty around Swiss government proposals to introduce mass surveillance — proposals that have been outlawed in the EU — Proton is moving most of its physical infrastructure out of Switzerland. Lumo will be the first product to move.
The risks of using the #Eurostack are software development risks: can the organization build, buy, or run open source to fill the functionality gaps between the Eurostack components you have and the USA-based competition? All stuff that can be worked on by people who are at the end user organization, or can be hired.
The risks of _not_ using the Eurostack are harder to predict, and not something that an end user organization can have much effect on.
https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/europe-prepares-for-a-u-s-trade-fight-834934be
#EuroStack: European Strategic Sovereign Digital Infrastructures (Pitch Paper) https://eurostack.eu/our-pitch/
"In Europe, discussions are coalescing around an ambitious idea called EuroStack, an EU-led “digital supply chain” that would give Europe technological sovereignty independent from the US and other countries.
The idea gathered steam a couple of months before Trump’s reelection, when a group of business leaders, European politicians, and technologists—including Meredith Whittaker, the president of Signal, and Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s former minister of digital affairs—met at the European Parliament to discuss “European Digital Independence.” According to Cristina Caffarra, an economist who helped organize the meeting, the takeaway was stark: “US tech giants own not only the services we engage with but also everything below, from chips to connectivity to cables under the sea to compute to cloud. If that infrastructure turns off, we have nowhere to go.”
The feeling of urgency has only grown since Trump retook office. The German and French governments have embraced EuroStack, while major EU aircraft manufacturers and military suppliers like Airbus and Dassault have signed on to a public letter advocating its approach to “sovereign digital infrastructure.” In all the European capitals, the Danish government adviser says, teams of people are calculating what elements should be folded into the effort and what it would cost.
And EuroStack is just one part of the response to enshittification. The European Union is also putting together a joint defense fund to help EU countries buy weapons—but not from the US. The EU’s executive agency, the European Commission, is patching together a network of satellites that could eventually provide Ukraine and Europe with their own home-baked alternative to Starlink."
https://www.wired.com/story/enshittification-of-american-power/
During the #UN #opensourceweek in June 2025 in their New York HQ, Adriana Groh from the @sovtechfund talked about open digital infrastructure and digital sovereignty 
. @rriemann , who attended for #EU_OS, was in the crowd – and coded meanwhile on #EU_OS. 
The s̶k̶y̶ UN is the limit for our collaboration: why not also #UN_OS? Robert had the chance to exchange contacts with the digital transformation officer there.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/adrianagroh_unosw-activity-7346877759652020225-73c3
How Eurostack could offer 
Canada a route to digital independence from the US
by Ted Palys, Professor of Criminology, SFU
#Eurostack #Canada #Europe #tech #privacy #democracy #sovereignty
WE NEED THIS
How Eurostack could offer Canada a route to digital independence from the United States
#Internet #Canpoli #Canada
#EU #Privacy #Security
#Infosec #Computer #Eurostack
@Em0nM4stodon
While FOSS does offer a great deal of flexibility, there are still practical concerns around jurisdiction, especially when it comes to legal matters, security audits, and the involvement of major corporations. Even though the software itself is open and can be modified, the infrastructure and support around it — such as funding, legal protections, or compliance — can still be influenced by where the project is based or the entities involved. Moving to a more independent, EU-based model could help mitigate some of those risks and offer more sovereignty in the long run.
Furthermore, the concern remains that the U.S. government could potentially order a company to introduce a hidden backdoor into the software, and the corporation might not be free — or even able — to disclose this information. This is a serious issue, especially as political pressures grow. In a broader sense, the U.S. is increasingly resembling more authoritarian regimes like Russia or China when it comes to digital policies, where control over software and data is prioritized over privacy or transparency.
Even though FOSS allows you to examine the code, the reality is that no one can continuously monitor the entire system at all times. The complexities of modern operating systems make it incredibly difficult to scrutinize every line of code, especially as it evolves. This is why reducing dependency on American corporations and jurisdiction could be an essential step toward ensuring true independence and security.
Relying on America's IBM's Fedora Linux, CentOS Linux, and Red Hat Linux as upstream sources does not address many of the challenges that an independent, EU-based OS could solve.
It would be beneficial if your concept either became independent (via a hard fork), thus removing reliance on American businesses and jurisdiction, or if you developed a completely independent OS from scratch.
The #US imposes 30% of #UStariffs to the #EuropeanUnion. According to Politico, the Commission is ready to retaliate. EU OS believes that a European response with Tariffs on US BigTech services (or all services that face trade deficits) would make so much more sense if the EU had alternatives for those in place. This is why #EU_OS, #EuroStack and #DigitalSovereignty is important. It offers more leverage.
https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-hits-eu-with-sweeping-30-percent-tariffs/
Today I'm again in Brussels to meet with Henna Virkkunen from the European Commission to discuss #EuroStack #OpenSource #Nextcloud #DigitalSovereignty #Europe
More on the #EuroStack, from @robin "The urgent question is whether the bloc’s leaders will back these words up with deeds — and if they have the will to use medicine strong enough for what ails us."
https://www.politico.eu/article/digital-sovereignty-us-brussels-belgium-trade-talks-tech/
(imho most of the Big Tech villainy in the EU could be put an end to by enforcing existing laws and regs at reasonable speed.)
Die Vision vom #EuroStack: Rettende Blaupause für Europas digitale Zukunft oder eine geschickt vermarktete Idee ohne Umsetzungschancen? Ein Hintergrund für den #Deutschlandfunk von Brüssel-Korrespondentin Annabell Brockhues und mir. https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/die-eurostack-idee-europas-traum-von-der-digitalen-souveraenitaet-100.html #DigitaleSouveränität
There’s an old rot in the heart of European tech policy – and it’s not just from the corporate lobbies. Composting the EU Tech Mess: From #NLnet to #Eurostack https://hamishcampbell.com/composting-the-eu-tech-mess-from-nlnet-to-eurostack/
