ABSTRACT
Many politicians are by now aware that the digital transition has been taking place out of their sight, and that data has become a geopolitical tool. Europe, China and the USA are each taking measures to force major tech companies to make their data available to the secret services if national security is threatened – but also when the basic human right to privacy comes under fire. In Brussels, privacy legislation to protect citizens has been introduced, but Germany and France want to go further. Both governments have come to realise that the sovereignty of government organisations’ and companies’ data should be guaranteed in systems that Europe itself must develop. Europe is not going to build its own Google for this. But there is a need for a safe, reliable and intelligent space where data can be stored and shared.
