EU proposes tech sovereignty rules to prevent foreign ‘kill switch’ disruption
8 reported
The European Commission has proposed new “technological sovereignty” rules aimed at ensuring no foreign government or company can use a “kill switch” to disrupt vital tech services in Europe. The proposals, published Wednesday, seek to reduce EU dependency on foreign suppliers in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and semiconductor production. The commission cited last year’s Chinese semiconductor export halt that nearly stopped the European car industry, as well as concerns that a US president could terminate cloud services or demand sensitive data. EU member states would be required to assess risks from cloud providers in sensitive areas like defense and criminal justice, potentially forcing a switch if deemed risky. The draft law suggests US cloud providers might need to comply with EU data protection rules and prove they would not be compelled to surrender EU data to US authorities. The proposals must be agreed by member states and the European parliament, and could open a new front in tensions with the Trump administration. The commission also aims to boost EU AI infrastructure by fast-tracking datacenters and promoting European semiconductor production.
What’s reported
The European Commission published “technological sovereignty” proposals on Wednesday.
The proposals aim to ensure no foreign government or company has a “kill switch” to disrupt tech services in Europe.
The EU is reliant on foreign providers for more than 80% of digital products, services, infrastructure, and intellectual property.
Last year, China stopped semiconductor exports, nearly halting the European car industry.
The 2018 US Cloud Act enables federal authorities to access data stored by US providers in other countries for national security reasons.
EU member states would be required to conduct risk assessments of cloud providers in sensitive areas like defense, criminal justice, and border management.
The EU produces only 10% of the world’s semiconductors and is almost entirely dependent on the US and east Asia for advanced chips.
The commission plans to triple the EU’s datacenter capacity within five to seven years.
Key figures
Henna Virkkunen, European Commission vice-president for tech sovereignty
Lara Natale, senior director for public affairs at the Centre for Future Generations
Olivier Darmouni, associate professor at HEC Paris
Computer and Communications Industry Association (members include Amazon and Google)
Sources: The Guardian
