France has decided that it is done using US-based videoconferencing software across its governmental organizations. Come 2027, every French government department will use Visio instead of Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, or any other non-European platform.
Part of the La Suite Numérique initiative, Visio has been in testing for a year now, handling 40,000 users across different departments. It is an MIT-licensed open source app that claims to offer "Zoom-level performance" with a high-quality video and audio experience.
And, not to mention that this will run on French infrastructure with them retaining full control over the data and how it is processed. Data sovereignty for the win, I guess?
When asked what their goal was, David Amiel, the Minister for the Civil Service and State Reform, stated that:
The aim is to end the use of non-European solutions and guarantee the security and confidentiality of public electronic communications by relying on a powerful and sovereign tool.
This is not the first time the French have tried to do something about the dominance of Big Tech in their country. Last year, in July, the city of Lyon started the process of ditching Microsoft in favor of ONLYOFFICE and an undisclosed Linux-based operating system.
So things are looking up. BUT.
This is Not Enough
While this move is good, it is a bit mild. Take a look over the border, and you will see that a German state is on track to save €15 million each year by ditching Microsoft 365 and opting for LibreOffice.
Denmark has already committed to switching to LibreOffice, while Switzerland's data protection authorities have sounded an alarm, calling for the Swiss government to reconsider their use of international cloud services for handling sensitive data.
You see how their de-Bigtechification journey is progressing?
While I am throwing shade at the French government, they could take pointers from their neighbors, can't they? If it saves taxpayer money, where's the harm in that?
