The Relations Between the United States and Europe Deteriorate, Should Europe Continue to Rely on American Tech Giants?
Yesterday: The Register MS, Dominated by American Editors, Says UK Should be Run (Digitally) by Microsoft US | 3 days ago: As Europe Gets Increasingly Serious About Software Freedom and Digital Sovereignty It Needs to Enforce a Ban on Software Patents ASAP
We generally don't do politics (or try to reduce it and/or relegate/compartmentalise it under Daily Links). But in a matter of days it looks like the Russian dictator will meet an American dictator, whom Microsoft is funding, to discuss selling Ukraine to Russia (territory exchanged for phony "ceasefire"). A base meant to deter against occupation will likely invite the occupier who keeps threatening to nuke Europe.
What will Europe do? Can Europe carry on pretending that the nation across the Atlantic ocean is an unconditional ally? What does NATO even mean in 2025? Why appease hostile members like Turkey as well?
Free software makes more sense than ever (in the history of modern computers) to Europe. After the second World War the US was a close ally, but where are we now? With Stalin-like ambitions, Russia is annexing parts of eastern Europe, sabotaging digital infrastructure in Europe, and is still actively attacking digital infrastructure in Europe.
It's not a secret that Microsoft puts back doors (controlled by the American dictator) in all of its things. Can Europe afford this risk?
No.
Seeing that the EU and Ukraine make a united front (and statement) on a "peace" that excludes Europe and Ukraine in particular, one is left wondering, whose peace is that? USSA/USSR?
The shallow notion that made-in-USA software is fairly safe for Europe to rely to is coming to a standstill. Remember what happened to ICC. █