75% of European businesses fear a US tech kill switch could deal an economic 'death blow' driving a search for sovereign alternatives

Date:
Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:52:33 +0000

Description:
European businesses are seeking alternatives to US hyperscalers, but Europe has a long way to go before it can survive entirely on its own.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Three in four European businesses fear a US tech 'kill switch' as much as they fear a ransomware attack Less than half have a continuity plan in place that is tested and documented Email and cloud file storage are the two services European businesses have sought sovereign alternatives for Most European businesses
use some form of US-based software in their day-to-day operations. But as tensions across the Atlantic mount, almost 75% of European businesses fear
the introduction of a US tech kill switch.

This is according to new data from Proton , which surveyed 1,500 businesses
in the UK, France, and Germany. The data also shows that more than half (54.5%) of European businesses would not survive for more than one day if
they lost access to US cloud and digital services. One in four of those surveyed predicted the losses from a single day of downtime could be as much as 100,000, with half predicting losses of more than 50,000. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: Geopolitical tensions have become operational risk US President Donald Trump has become increasingly critical
of his allies across the Atlantic since returning to the Presidency. He has repeatedly questioned NATO contributions, threatening to withdraw unless Europe upped its spending.

But Trump has also criticized European tech regulations for robbing American companies and, in turn, the American taxpayer. He has vowed to investigate
the European Union for fining US tech companies for anti-competitive
practices and GDPR violations, and has placed numerous tariffs on trade partners. You may like EU to back European alternatives to US dominated software and services in major push for tech sovereignty Study finds many customers would leave a business which stays loyal to US big tech services
Our message is simple: Build European, buy European, protect European: European cloud providers join lawmakers and NGOs to end reliance on US hyperscalers

Many US tech companies poured funding into Trump's presidential campaign,
with others making voluntary contributions to curry favor immediately after his inauguration. Many complained of the fines levied against them by EU regulations, and Trump has turned this into a sticking point for negotiations with Europe.

The fear is that Trump could use Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to deem the fines from such regulations to be unfair, and stop US companies from paying them, effectively allowing US companies to violate regulations without repercussions. In return, Europe would flip the kill switch and stop US companies from operating in their territory. 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
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"The kill switch is no longer an abstract geopolitical concern but a business continuity crisis. The study captures a clear shift in how European
businesses perceive operational risk, said Raphal Auphan, Chief Operating Officer at Proton.

The fact that concern about a government-imposed kill switch is virtually indistinguishable from concern about ransomware tells something significant: geopolitical risk applied to digital dependence is no longer a boardroom abstraction. It is joining the same threat register as criminal attacks, with the same sense of urgency and the same expectation that it could materialise without warning." A sovereign alternative The EU has already begun taking steps towards developing European alternatives to the cloud, productivity,
and other services that many businesses rely on today. A Tech Sovereignty Package, launched in June this year, seeks to reduce the reliance on US hyperscalers and Chinese tech manufacturing .

While the Proton data shows that a majority of European businesses (67.8%) would switch to a sovereign provider if the kill switch was flipped, the availability of European cloud providers is not quite at the same level as rival US services.

But steps are being taken to address this shortfall. Proton has launched a business continuity solution to help businesses continue operating during outages caused by ransomware attacks, software outages, and even a US tech kill switch. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/75-percent-of-european-businesses-fear-a-us-tech -kill-switch-could-deal-an-economic-death-blow-driving-a-search-for-sovereign- alternatives


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