‘Authorities can ask them to hand over data’: Report claims over 80% of Europeans don’t trust US and Chinese businesses to handle their data – Europe is desperate for homegrown AI, cloud, and telecoms as the rift with the US grows

News
By published

Europeans don't trust US and Chinese tech companies

Flag map of US and EU members painted on concrete wall with a large crack separating the two.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
  • 8 in 10 Europeans say they don't trust US or Chinese data handling
  • Europeans are more likely to trust their own government over foreign firms
  • The desire for homegrown alternatives is rising

Over 8 in 10 Europeans don’t trust US or Chinese tech firms to handle their data appropriately, a new Politico European Pulsepoll has found.

European distrust of Chinese tech and businesses is longstanding, largely due to fears that the Chinese government could compel companies to hand over user data for nefarious purposes.

But the same sentiment has grown for US tech companies, leading Europeans to seek out domestic alternatives to software typically dominated by American companies.

Article continues below

Europe craves homegrown tech

The poll, which surveyed citizens from Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Poland, found that 84% of respondents don't trust American tech companies to responsibly handle their data, with the number rising to 93% when asked the same about Chinese tech companies.

When it comes to domestic trust, 45% of respondents said they trusted their own national government with their data, with just over half (51%) stating that they trust European tech companies to handle their data responsibly. Belgians were the most likely to trust European companies, with 59% believing EU firms would handle their data responsibly.

The most mistrusting of foreign tech companies were the Germans, with 91 distrusting US companies, and 98% distrusting Chinese companies. On the other hand, Polish people were the most trusting of US companies (38%) and Chinese companies (20%).

A graph showing the results of the European Pulse survey, which surveyed 6,698 adults online, with at least 1,000 respondents each from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain

(Image credit: POLITICO/Cluster17)

The European Union (EU) is fiercely protective over its data. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) places strict rules on how the data of European users is handled by companies - even those based outside of the EU. Companies handling European data that violate GDPR rules can face heavy fines, and refusal to pay can lead to legal action and operational bans.

The protections are so robust that President Donald Trump has labelled EU regulations as “a form of taxation.” Trump recently ordered US diplomats to lobby against data regulations, including GDPR, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio labelling GDPR regulations as “unnecessarily burdensome data processing restrictions and cross-border data flow requirements” in an internal diplomatic cable.

The EU has recognized that some aspects of its data protection regulations, including GDPR, have somewhat hindered European competitiveness and AI innovation with proposals made to water down regulations. On the other hand, European regulations remain far more robust than those in place in the US and China, whose authorities can compel companies to hand over user data.

Best password manager header
The best password manager for all budgets

➡️ Read our full guide to the best password manager
1. Best overall:
NordPass
2. Best for mobile:
RoboForm
3. Best for syncing and sharing:
Keeper

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

Benedict Collins
Benedict Collins
Senior Writer, Security

Benedict is a Senior Security Writer at TechRadar Pro, where he has specialized in covering the intersection of geopolitics, cyber-warfare, and business security.

Benedict provides detailed analysis on state-sponsored threat actors, APT groups, and the protection of critical national infrastructure, with his reporting bridging the gap between technical threat intelligence and B2B security strategy.

Benedict holds an MA (Distinction) in Security, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the University of Buckingham Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS), with his specialization providing him with a robust academic framework for deconstructing complex international conflicts and intelligence operations, and the ability to translate intricate security data into actionable insights.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.