this post was submitted on 13 Apr 2026
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Don't kid yourselves. Once Europe develops its own big tech, it's going to be just as untrustworthy. But at least it will be your untrustworthy.
For now, the EU has strong data protection laws that the US and China don't have. Although it is true that stupid ideas like Chat Control keep popping up every couple of years.
Ideally, though, you put them in countries close to the EU but not part of it, like Switzerland.
Data control laws to prevent the sale of data not the government use of data.
governments often buy data instead of obtaining the necessary warrants, because its easier and more effective. if they can't buy it, they have to do it the harder way, and the harder way can be made even harder with legislation
The us isn’t fond of other countries spying on you either. The state has not relinquished any amount of power or control in my lifetime. Europe caring about privacy is a facade.
Its one step better at least
Boy do I have some news for you. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
https://youtu.be/Kw96Qh0-rs0 (Gotta use auto-subs)
That's only the excuse the politicians are using. In reality there's a combination of intelligence services and datamining operations pushing for scanning ordinary law-abiding citizens communications.
I honestly feel safer with my data in a foreign authorities hands than domestic.
China can't do dick to me nor should they want to. I'm just a lil guy! The US does nasty things to its citizens on the reg, I don't wanna be caught up in that!
I'd like to think they'd be more accommodating.
"Ahhh Mr. Albatross, we've seen your social media traffic and we've been expecting you! In anticipation of your arrival, we've prepared some lovely poop, if you would just step this way..."
Or America, who will reject your Visa for having a meme of JD Vance on your phone
they can do plenty enough to be worried. maybe they can not harm you physically (for now), but by having access to details of the private lives of people, their conversations, and being able to see how they form their opinions, they can use that information to determine how can they reshape public opinion on topics of their interests. this information can be used by themselves, or they can pass it to an ally, and it could be used to change almost anything, like interfere with elections, or further erode the need for privacy so that people are willingly giving up even more data to them
Cool story
Europe tech often times are open source with commercial service.
At least it's better than whatever Google, Microsoft, or Tencent.
Honestly, I prefer someone else's untrustworthy.
I don't trust China at all, but I trust them over the US, if only because they have no stake in me as a foreigner.
Yet... they play the long game.
They are all in on renewables. The US want everyone on oil and coal, the US wants the junky to keep and dependency.
We are the bad guys.
I don't really see how that is relevant. Or how a country's energy sources alone can determine whether they are "good" or "bad".
It is an example of China being stable and the US being unreasonable and evil.
I don't think it's anything more than short-term versus long-term thinking.
I would not describe either country as "good", but that has nothing to do with the above statement.
The us focusing exclusively on the short term is what I like consider evil, and the stability of a long term-term focus is good.