Home / Technology / EU Parliament Switches to Privacy-Focused Search
EU Parliament Switches to Privacy-Focused Search
2 Jun
Summary
- European Parliament will default to Quant search engine on its computers.
- The switch aligns with the EU's commitment to digital sovereignty and data protection.
- France is also moving to replace Windows, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.
The European Parliament is set to change its default search engine from Google to the French-developed Quant, beginning June 4. This decision underscores the Parliament's dedication to enhancing digital sovereignty and safeguarding user personal data. Searches conducted via the address bar on Firefox and Edge browsers will now utilize Quant.
This initiative is part of a larger strategy by the European Union to decrease its dependence on foreign technology providers. The European Commission is anticipated to unveil a new sovereignty package on June 3, further emphasizing this objective. France is actively participating in this push, with plans to migrate government systems from Windows to Linux and replace platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams with its own video conferencing tool.
The EU's move away from Google as a default search engine is occurring as alternative privacy-focused search engines report increased adoption. DuckDuckGo, for instance, noted a surge in app installations following Google's own generative AI integration announcements.
