The rise of Donald Trump to power and his policies have prompted certain sectors to reconsider the consumption of American products, both physical and digital. This sentiment has strengthened the 'European Alternatives' movement, which promotes the use of applications and online services developed in Europe. Among its initiatives is the proposal to create a completely European operating system ('EU OS'), designed for EU public administrations to be able to do without Windows. The main goal is to achieve true technological sovereignty against giants like Microsoft, Google, or Apple, as explained by Julio César Fernández, an expert in development and artificial intelligence. “For years, we have handed over too much control to a few large companies that have built their business around our data. They have created closed ecosystems that trap us and make us dependent on their services,” Fernández points out. He adds that the arrival of artificial intelligence, with players like OpenAI or Anthropic, has intensified the debate on social media, where hashtags like #NoMoreGoogle promote European alternatives to popular services like Gmail, Google Maps, or Google Docs, as well as to WhatsApp, X, or Microsoft Teams. Constantin Graf, a developer at european-alternatives.eu, highlights three key advantages of opting for European digital services: the taxes generated benefit the local economy, employment in the region is fostered, and companies are subject to the strict EU data protection regulations, something that large American tech companies do not always comply with. This issue has led to multimillion-dollar fines from the European Commission and responses such as limiting Apple's functions in some European countries. However, the feasibility of total digital independence is questionable. Fernández acknowledges that abandoning services like Google is complicated: “Google is no longer just a service; it is part of our digital culture, just like WhatsApp or ChatGPT. When a name becomes a verb, it is almost impossible to replace it. Moreover, no search engine matches its efficiency.” The same goes for X (formerly Twitter): “Many who left due to Elon Musk's arrival have returned.” Still, seeking alternatives is positive, especially in terms of privacy. Fernández recommends being informed and reviewing privacy policies before accepting any service, and not being swayed by trends or political pressures. “It is not bad to use Google, TikTok, or Instagram, as long as we know what data we are giving up. Knowing alternatives is always beneficial,” he concludes. Among the European applications and services recommended by European Alternatives are: Alternatives to Gmail: Proton Mail (Switzerland), mailbox.org (Germany), Runbox (Norway), mail.fr (France) Alternatives to Google Maps: HERE WeGo Maps (Netherlands), Mapy.com (Czech Republic), TomTom GO Navigation (Netherlands), Organic Maps (Estonia) Alternatives to Google: Qwant (France), Mojeek (UK), GOOD (Germany), Swisscows (Switzerland) Alternatives to Dropbox: pCloud (Switzerland), Cozy (France), Cryptee (Estonia), Nextcloud (Germany) Alternatives to WhatsApp: Threema (Switzerland), Olvid (France), ginlo Private (Germany), SKRED (France) Alternatives to Google Chrome: Vivaldi Browser (Norway), Ecosia Browser (Germany), Mullvad Browser (Sweden) Alternatives to Microsoft Office: LibreOffice (Germany), SoftMaker Office NX (Germany) Source: canarias7.es