As European countries look into ways to loosen ties with the United States, France’s government announced it is doing away with Microsoft’s Windows operating system.
In a statement, France minister of public action and accounts David Amiel said the country must leave behind what he called “extra-European” proprietary technology. In its place will be Linux and open-source technology.
Amiel confirmed the transition is currently underway, but did not give a timetable for when it will be finished. He also did not say which flavor of Linux the French government will use.
Here’s the statement:
The State can no longer simply acknowledge its dependence; it must break free. We must become less reliant on American tools and regain control of our digital destiny. We can no longer accept that our data, our infrastructure, and our strategic decisions depend on solutions whose rules, pricing, evolution, and risks we do not control. The transition is underway: our ministries, our operators, and our industrial partners are now embarking on an unprecedented initiative to map our dependencies and strengthen our digital sovereignty. Digital sovereignty is not optional.
France’s move is the latest in Europe’s shift away from external technology from the U.S. and China. For example, France will move away from Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Instead, it will use homegrown alternative Visio.
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