Why France Just Dumped Microsoft Teams And Zoom - And What's Replacing Them

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• France is dropping US videoconferencing services successful favour of its ain open-source program.
• Visio is being deployed now and will switch different services by 2027.
• Visio is portion of a overmuch larger EU move to integer sovereignty.

It's not astir nan French authorities not trusting US tech companies… Sorry, actually, it is. It's each astir France not trusting American companies pinch its information aliases services. 

As David Amiel, France's minister-delegate for nan civilian work and authorities reform, put it: France is committed "to regaining our integer independence. We cannot consequence having our technological exchanges, our delicate data, and our strategical innovations exposed to non-European actors."

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So, France is pushing US tech giants retired of nan French government. They're moving civilian servants disconnected Microsoft Teams and Zoom and onto a homegrown videoconferencing level called Visio -- each successful nan sanction of sovereign power complete its integer infrastructure.

Paris has framed nan determination arsenic a strategical break from dependence connected American unreality and collaboration platforms. The French authorities is explicitly linking it to a broader doctrine of "digital sovereignty." This EU-based movement, which has been astir for complete a decade, is dedicated to nan proposition that EU countries should trust connected autochthonal EU tech companies, unreality services, and platforms.  

Non‑European platforms will not beryllium renewed  

EU officials reason that relying connected US-hosted services exposes authorities discussions to overseas laws, specified arsenic the 2018 US Cloud Act, which authorizes nan US authorities to entree information moreover erstwhile servers are located connected European soil. 

Moving to nan applicable details, nether nan caller videoconferencing plan, nan MIT-licensed, open-source Visio will beryllium rolled retired crossed each ministries and authorities agencies, becoming nan default and yet nan exclusive videoconferencing instrumentality for French authorities workers. Visio has nary narration to nan Microsoft diagramming and flowcharting programme of nan aforesaid name.

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Moving forward, licences for Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex, GoToMeeting, and each different non‑European platforms will not beryllium renewed arsenic departments migrate, pinch afloat deployment targeted by 2027. 

France's Interministerial Directorate for Digital Affairs (DINUM) developed Visio arsenic a sovereign videoconferencing level for nan French state. The Netherlands and Germany person besides helped pinch its development. The programme was built using Django, nan open-source Python web framework; React, nan JavaScript room for building personification interfaces (UIs); and LiveKit, a scalable video conferencing system. Visio offers features specified arsenic HD video calls, surface sharing, and chat.

It's been tested for astir a twelvemonth and already has astir 40,000 regular users, pinch an description way to immoderate 200,000 workers successful nan adjacent term.

Also: Why moreover a US tech elephantine is launching 'sovereign support' for Europe now

Visio is portion of a broader Suite Numérique project, a family of open-source sovereign package programs designed to switch US services specified arsenic Gmail, Slack, and different collaboration devices presently utilized by nan French administration. As a modern conferencing product, Visio offers AI‑powered transcription and speaker identification, built pinch exertion from French start‑up Pyannote, and integrates pinch existing unafraid messaging systems for illustration Tchap, which runs connected nan Matrix protocol. 

Officials said nan package stack was developed pinch support from France's cybersecurity agency ANSSI to harden encryption and meet nationalist information requirements.

France is making this move not only to support integer sovereignty and amended security. The Élysée is besides trading nan move to prevention money and stimulate section industry. Government estimates propose that discontinuing outer videoconferencing licences could prevention astir 1 cardinal euros per twelvemonth for each 100,000 users who move to Visio. The move aligns intimately pinch an EU‑level push to trim reliance connected ascendant US unreality and package vendors; nan European Parliament recently adopted resolutions urging much power complete captious integer infrastructure and AI platforms.

When integer sovereignty becomes policy 

France's pivot lands astatine a clip of heightened transatlantic hostility complete information protection, antitrust, and business policy. It besides sends a clear awesome that astatine slightest 1 awesome EU authorities is, astatine nan highest level, consenting to enshrine integer sovereignty arsenic argumentation alternatively than a distant aspiration. Many different EU entities -- including an Austrian ministry, the Austrian military, nan German authorities of Schleswig-Holstein, Danish government organizations, and the French metropolis of Lyon -- are dropping Microsoft programs successful favour of homegrown European alternatives.

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Not everyone successful Europe is enthusiastic astir integer sovereignty. Börje Ekholm, CEO of Swedish telecom instrumentality patient Ericsson, precocious said astatine Davos that caller European discussions astir sovereignty are "dangerous," and that attempts to build homegrown alternatives to US exertion would lead to higher prices successful nan region.

Be that arsenic it may, if Visio tin lucifer nan usability and uptime of US companies while keeping information wrong European ineligible jurisdiction, Paris whitethorn person created a template for different countries seeking to move distant from reliance connected American technology.