European firms put data at risk with overreliance on US
More than 74% of all publicly listed European companies rely on American technology providers, the Swiss cloud company Proton said Tuesday. It stressed that in some countries, entire sectors are dependent on US services – including the French real estate market, the Spanish energy industry, and a large portion of the Irish economy.
According to the report, US firms may use European data to train artificial intelligence models, share it with the US government, or halt services to European clients under geopolitical pressure. The study also warns that this dependence contributes to a talent drain from Europe and hampers domestic innovation.
Europe outsourced its digital backbone for decades. Today, that choice has become a strategic liability.Our new study shows how deep that dependency runs — starting with email, the gateway to every company's stack.Let's unpack it 👇1 / 8 pic.twitter.com/CUvypI4YQu
Proton's findings are based on an analysis of the email domains used by companies across 31 European nations, not including Russia, which it claims reflect preference for other elements of the 'tech stack.' Only four countries were found to be less than 50% dependent on American providers. In contrast, Iceland, Norway, Ireland, and Finland each showed dependency levels exceeding 90%, according to the data.
'For decades, Europe turned to US tech instead of investing at home,' Proton stated. 'Today, that choice threatens its economic stability, cybersecurity, and democratic sovereignty.'
The Swiss company promoted its own services as an alternative and voiced support for the European Union's EuroStack initiative. The project aims to develop sovereign digital capabilities, including chip manufacturing, cloud infrastructure, and AI systems.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Russia Today
Lukashenko slams ‘stinky EU'
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has accused the 'stinky' European Union of deliberately obstructing Ukrainian grain exports and suggested that Minsk should take control of the transit routes to ensure deliveries reach developing countries. In an interview with Time magazine published on Friday, Lukashenko claimed the EU was blocking efforts by the US and Russia to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative and redirect shipments through overland routes. 'They [the EU] don't want that, those stinkers,' Lukashenko said, alleging the bloc was 'afraid the grain will end up on the [Western] European market.' Lukashenko insisted that sea routes through the Black Sea remain unsafe due to naval mines near the port of Odessa and praised a proposal by US President Donald Trump to ship grain overland via Poland or Germany. However, he insisted that Belarus should oversee the process instead. 'On the contrary, it is necessary to involve Belarus in this process, so no grain is transported through the stinky EU,' he said. Lukashenko also claimed Minsk could provide 'full control' over shipments, guaranteeing that grain intended for Africa would not be diverted to Western Europe. The original grain deal, brokered in July 2022 by the UN and Türkiye, collapsed in 2023 after Moscow accused Western powers of failing to uphold their side of the agreement, particularly on Russian fertilizer and food exports. Washington and Moscow have since held discussions about reviving the agreement under new terms, including rerouting shipments through alternative corridors. In March, the EU rejected Russian demands to lift sanctions on the Russian Agricultural Bank, a key condition for Moscow's return to the deal. The Kremlin said the refusal demonstrated the bloc's unwillingness to help end the Ukraine conflict Lukashenko, who has led Belarus since 1994, has positioned himself as a mediator and transit partner in ongoing regional negotiations.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Russia Today
The EU are ‘stinkers'– Lukashenko
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko blasted the EU for blocking Ukrainian grain exports, while praising the US for twisting Brussels' arm. He accused the bloc of halting shipments to shield its own markets and suggested that Minsk should be given oversight powers to ensure Africa-bound grain stays out of Europe. In an interview with Time magazine released on Friday, Lukashenko accused the EU of standing in the way of Russian and US efforts to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The original deal, brokered by the UN and Türkiye in July 2022, was aimed at ensuring safe passage for Ukrainian grain exports in exchange for lifting restrictions on Russian food and fertilizer trade. Moscow pulled out in 2023, accusing the West of failing to uphold its part of the bargain. Earlier this year, American and Russian officials agreed to reboot the initiative as part of a broader effort to settle the Ukraine conflict. Lukashenko said Black Sea navigation remains unsafe due to mines near Ukraine's Port of Odessa. Noting that US President Donald Trump has proposed routing grain shipments through Poland or German ports instead, the Belarusian president asserted, 'On the contrary, it is necessary to involve Belarus in this process, so no grain is transported through stinky Europe.' 'Did they [the EU] let it through? No – they're afraid the grain will end up on the European market,' he said, adding that 'Trump is right to lean on' the bloc. He argued that the overland route was the only viable option but noted that the EU was deliberately obstructing it. Belarus could provide 'full control' and guarantee that not a single speck of grain intended for Africa would end up in the EU, he asserted, stressing that the EU 'don't want that, those stinkers,' Lukashenko emphasized. In March, the EU rejected Moscow's demand to lift sanctions on the Russian Agricultural Bank as part of a ceasefire initiative discussed between Moscow and Washington. The Kremlin said the move showed the bloc's reluctance to end the Ukraine conflict. The EU initially scrapped tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural exports after the conflict escalated in 2022, but reimposed restrictions after the imports flooded Eastern European markets, sparking widespread farmer protests.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Russia Today
Ukraine has ‘sold out'
The Ukrainian leadership has 'sold out' the country while wasting billions in foreign assistance and bankrupting the economy, former Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov has said. Speaking in an interview aired on Thursday, Azarov, who held his post between 2010 and 2014 and fled to Russia after the Maidan coup, recalled that while Kiev's Western backers had poured vast sums into Ukraine over the past three years, local officials have failed to use the money to improve the country. 'This enormous amount of money, if it had been put to good use, could have transformed Ukraine,' he said, adding that over more than a decade since the Western-backed coup in Kiev, the Ukrainian government has failed to build even a single metro station. The Kiev leadership has also done incredible damage to the country's economy, Azarov noted. 'The homeland has long since been sold out. Its natural resources are sold – actually, just given away. Industry is sold, agriculture is sold, everything is gone, you have nothing,' he said, addressing fellow Ukrainians. He questioned the purpose of continued fighting with Russia, stating: 'What are you defending? [Vladimir] Zelensky? Is he really so dear to you that hundreds of thousands of people should be laid in the grave?' Opposition lawmaker and former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Timoshenko told The Times this week that US and EU influence had reached 'unacceptable' levels and that the country was becoming 'a disenfranchised colony.' Earlier this year, Washington and Kiev signed a minerals deal that gives the US preferential access to Ukrainian natural resources in exchange for continued military support, despite concerns that the agreement would undermine the country's sovereignty. Ukraine is also plagued by rampant corruption, with a 2024 poll indicating that 71.6% of Ukrainians list graft among the five biggest national President Vladimir Putin has on numerous occasions suggested that Ukraine would certainly collapse without the military and economic assistance from the West.
