Europe Pushes for Digital Sovereignty Amid U.S. Tech Dominance and Trump’s Second Term
As Donald Trump begins his second term as U.S. president, a growing number of Europeans are turning away from American tech companies in search of greater digital independence. In Berlin, organizations like Topio are helping users “de-Google” their smartphones, reflecting a broader trend driven by fears of U.S. political instability and corporate overreach. Data from Similarweb shows increased interest in European-based alternatives for search, messaging, and email services, fueled by concerns over the concentration of digital power in the hands of U.S. tech giants.
The shift is particularly evident with services like Ecosia, a Berlin-based search engine that donates profits to environmental causes. Ecosia has seen a 27% rise in EU traffic, although it still represents just 1% of the German search market, dwarfed by Google’s massive European presence. Similarly, Swiss-based ProtonMail and U.S.-founded Signal have experienced upticks in European user adoption. These trends indicate a grassroots movement among consumers increasingly wary of American platforms, especially in light of perceived threats to privacy and free expression.
The push for “digital sovereignty” is gaining political traction across Europe. Concerns about U.S. surveillance laws, weak data protections, and inflammatory rhetoric from the Trump administration—including threats of visa bans and criticism of EU content regulation—are reinforcing calls for technological independence. EU laws like the Digital Services Act are being framed as necessary for public safety and democratic resilience, despite backlash from U.S. companies who see them as censorship.
Some European governments are already acting. Germany’s federal and regional authorities are shifting toward open-source software and local cloud solutions, while Berlin has supported Ukraine with non-American satellite internet services. Still, experts warn that fully detaching from U.S. tech is unlikely in the near term. American companies dominate everything from cloud infrastructure to content delivery networks, and even platforms like Ecosia and Qwant partially rely on Google and Microsoft technology to function.
Despite growing user awareness and platforms like Mastodon and Proton Drive gaining small but loyal followings, U.S. dominance remains entrenched. Online communities such as Reddit’s BuyFromEU promote European tech alternatives, but analysts argue that only robust regulation can meaningfully reduce U.S. influence. “The market is too captured,” said digital rights expert Robin Berjon, underscoring the need for political action to complement consumer-driven change.
Source: Reuters