Is Europe Divorcing Big Tech?

The bromance between tech titans and Donald Trump has unfolded—X posts about “disgusting” legislation notwithstanding—Europe has grown increasingly uneasy about relying on US tech products. In Denmark, the media industry is actively seeking out non-US alternatives. Journalisten, a Danish publication roughly equivalent to this magazine (whose name translates as “The Journalist”), asked several news outlets and communications professionals whether they are exploring other options, and found that all of them were. “Like most Danish companies, we are steeped in American technology,” one editor in chief told the publication. “If we suddenly can no longer trust American suppliers, we have a huge problem, and it will be very difficult and expensive to get out of it.” This shift is driven by concerns that Trump could one day wake up and decide to force Big Tech to pull the plug on cloud services to Europe. It’s a hypothetical risk—and, some say, a small one. But if it were to materialize, the consequences could be “a disaster of biblical dimensions,” per one security expert. As such, Torsten Pedersen, the minister of national security, recently asked Danish companies and authorities to prepare for such a scenario, and to have an exit plan.