The era of infinite data is coming to an end – Reuters

But, the nations overcame it. In France and Austria, Google’s web analytics software, Google Analytics, used by many sites to collect visitor statistics, warned customers not to use the program anymore as it could expose personal data.

Last year, the French government terminated its contract with Microsoft to handle health-related data following criticism from officials for awarding the contract to an American company. Officials have promised to work with local businesses instead.

Companies adapted. Microsoft said it was taking steps to make it easier for customers to retain data in specific geographic areas. Amazon Web Services, the largest cloud computing service, claims to give customers control over where data is stored in Europe.

In France, Spain and Germany, Google Cloud signed agreements with local technology and telecommunications providers last year to ensure that the local company oversees their data when customers use Google products.

“We want to meet with them wherever they are,” said Xenia Duxfield-Karyakina, who leads Google Cloud’s public policy operations in Europe.

Liam Maxwell, director of government change at Amazon Web Services, said in a statement that the company would adapt to European regulations, but that customers could buy cloud services based on their needs. . “

Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems, who has won lawsuits over Facebook’s data sharing practices, said the controversy over digital information was growing. He predicted that the US-EU data agreement announced by Mr Biden would still be overturned by the European Court of Justice as it still failed to meet EU privacy standards.