Europe wants a tech divorce from the U.S. and China. “Edward Snowden!” somebody shouts, and applause erupts from the crowd. This is Web Summit, Europe’s biggest annual tech conference, which draws 70,000 visitors to Lisbon, Portugal. And America’s Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios is having a hard time with his speech. His calls for a European-American united front against China are greeted with rebukes from the crowd of European tech entrepreneurs and executives. When he leaves the stage, he’s booed. Several speakers later, Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition, best known for beating down U.S. tech giants with large fines and recently being attacked by President Donald Trump as “someone who hates America,” is greeted with a standing ovation. Europe is largely dependent on the U.S. — and, increasingly, China — for its digital technology. Everything from social networks and cloud computing to telecom infrastructure hails from outside European borders. Now, as these technologies become ever more central to the economy, rising fears over privacy violations and data security are driving growing calls for Europe to establish technological sovereignty. |