Authorities can ask them to hand over data: Report claims over 80% of Europeans dont 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

Date:
Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:05:00 +0000

Description:
Distrust of US and Chinese companies may have reached an all-time high, and Europeans want homegrown alternatives.

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now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter 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 dont 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 You may like Brits are turning their backs on US Big Tech and looking to Europe for privacy FBI urges users not to download Chinese mobile apps over privacy
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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%). (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. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me
with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

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. The
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/authorities-can-ask-them-to-hand-over-d ata-report-claims-over-80-percent-of-europeans-dont-trust-us-and-chinese-busin esses-to-handle-their-data-europe-is-desperate-for-homegrown-ai-cloud-and-tele coms-as-the-rift-with-the-us-grows


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