Europeans Do Not Trust China, US Tech Companies With Their Data: Survey

A new survey has found that Europeans do not trust Chinese and US-based tech companies when it comes to handling their data. The findings are important at a time when artificial intelligence (AI) companies based out of these two countries have started gaining a user base from across the globe. With individuals in major European countries taking a generally negative outlook towards foreign technology and products, this also becomes an important moment for the EU to bolster homegrown AI technology and push native tools as an alternative.

Survey Says Europeans Do Not Trust AI Firms from China, the US

The findings come from The European Pulse survey, which was conducted by Cluster17 for Politico and beBartlet. The survey is comprehensive, covering a wide range of topics across energy, defence, inequality, mobility, technology, and more. Notably, 6,698 European individuals were polled across ages from six major nations, including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland. The survey is said to be conducted between March 13 and March 21.

As part of the survey, the participants were asked how much they trusted four types of actors to handle their personal data. The surveyed individuals were asked how much they trust four types of actors to handle their personal data: European tech companies, US tech companies, Chinese tech companies, and their own national government. The participants shared that they trust Chinese firms the least when it comes to ensuring data privacy, with only 7.2 percent rating them favourably.

Tech companies based in the US received a similar level of mistrust, with just 16.1 percent of the surveyed individuals rating their data handling capabilities positively. Germany led the distrust, with 91.2 participants saying they do not trust companies from the country. Polish participants rated US-based firms most favourably, with 37.9 percent saying they would trust them with their personal data.

When it comes to AI's benefits and risks, the participants were found to be split, with 50.1 percent saying it brings more benefits, whereas 49.9 percent said it has more risks than benefits. Individuals from France were noted to be most concerned with the risks, with 64.1 percent believing the risks outweigh the benefits. On the other end of the spectrum, Spanish participants were most optimistic about AI, with 62.7 percent saying there are more upsides than downsides.