Europe Losing Trust in US and Chinese Tech Firms, Survey Finds 84% and 93% Distrust
People living in Europe are losing trust in technology companies from the United States and China. For several years, European countries have taken various initiatives to store their data locally and reduce dependence on foreign technology.
A survey by the US outlet Politico last March found that more than eight in ten Europeans do not consider it safe for their personal data to be held by US or Chinese technology companies. The survey covered 6,698 citizens of Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Poland and Belgium.
The survey found that about 84 percent of Europeans do not trust US technology companies to handle personal data responsibly. Distrust of Chinese companies is even higher — 93 percent believe Chinese companies are not responsible in protecting data. By contrast, 51 percent expressed trust in technology companies based in Europe.
By country, 91 percent of people in Germany do not trust US companies and 98 percent do not trust Chinese companies. Trust in US and Chinese companies is comparatively higher in Poland, where 38 percent trust US companies and 20 percent trust Chinese ones. Trust in European companies is highest in Belgium, at 59 percent.
Under the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, any company processing the data of people living in Europe must follow strict privacy rules. However, under the internal security laws of the United States and China, authorities in those countries can demand user data from their own companies. That risk has created concern among European courts and regulators.
The distance between the United States and the European Union is growing on digital policy-making and mutual trust. Mark Scott, a senior resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, said Brussels and Washington can no longer agree even on basic issues such as free trade, NATO or freedom of speech.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has emphasised digital sovereignty since retaking office in 2024. Last June, Brussels announced the European Technological Sovereignty Package, aimed at building advanced semiconductor and artificial intelligence infrastructure inside Europe. Von der Leyen said the technology that keeps hospitals running, power grids stable and services safe cannot be left to dependence on others.
Yet European countries remain dependent on US technology companies. Everything from government policy documents to health and tax records is currently stored on Microsoft or Amazon servers. Meanwhile, Austria's military has abandoned Microsoft in favour of European open-source-based services, and Denmark's data protection authority has ordered the country's schools to drop Google laptops.
