Google has criticized the European Unionโs intentions to achieve digital sovereignty through open-source software. The company warned that Brusselsโ policies aimed at reducing dependence on American tech companies could harm competitiveness. According to Google, the idea of replacing current tools with open-source programs would not contribute to economic growth.
Kent Walker, Googleโs president of global affairs and chief legal officer, warned of a competitive paradox that Europe is facing. According to the Financial Times, he said that creating regulatory barriers would be harmful in a context of rapid technological advancement. His remarks came just days after the European Commission concluded a public consultation assessing the transition to open-source software.
Googleโs chief legal officer clarified that he is not opposed to digital sovereignty, but recommended making use of the โbest technologies in the world.โ Walker suggested that American companies could collaborate with European firms to implement measures ensuring data protection. Local management or servers located in Europe to store information are among the options.
The EU is preparing a technological sovereignty package aimed at eliminating dependence on third-party software, such as Googleโs. After reviewing proposals, it concluded that reliance on external suppliers for critical infrastructure entails economic risks and creates vulnerabilities. The strategy focuses not only on regulation but also on adopting open-source software to achieve digital sovereignty.
According to Google, this change would represent a problem for users. Walker argues that the market moves faster than legislation and warns that regulatory friction will only leave European consumers and businesses behind in what he calls โthe most competitive technological transition we have ever seen.โ As it did with the DMA and other laws, Google is playing on fear. Kent Walker suggested that this initiative would stifle innovation and deny people access to the โbest digital tools.โ
The promotion of open-source software aims to break dependence on foreign suppliers, especially during a period of instability caused by the Trump administration. The European Union has highlighted the risks of continuing under this system and proposes that public institutions should have full control over their own technology.
According to a study on the impact of open-source software, the European Commission found that it contributes between โฌ65 billion and โฌ95 billion annually to the European Unionโs GDP. The executive body estimates that a 10% increase in contributions to open-source software would generate an additional โฌ100 billion in growth for the blocโs economy.
Kiss my ass, Google. The only Google anything I use is my email for 'official' purposes (and anything tied to credit card purchases.... mostly).
Europe has huge privacy problems with its chat control and other crap, but the move to FOSS is something I can get behind 100%
Edit: also youtube. I basically am watching something all the time. Or listening to it.
Yeah YT is a hard one to quit, not because it is "good" but simply because that's where literally all video content on the internet goes. If it were any other site like Odysee we'd all be there, simple as.
That said I still use Newpipe or Grayjay to access it, rather than direct.
I use newpipe and freetube. Newpipe is great, but it doesn't work well with subscription feeds. And freetube positively sucks with VPNs.