French Prioritize Digital Security, Partnerships Over National Origin

Image credit: Abondance

French citizens prioritize digital security and data protection over the national origin of technology, favoring international partnerships to enhance the country’s digital sovereignty, a new survey revealed.

The findings indicated that digital sovereignty ranked significantly lower than other national concerns, with only 4 percent of French people identifying it as a top priority, far behind economic, food, and energy sovereignty.

Security, cited by 57 percent, and data protection, at 53 percent, emerged as the leading criteria for selecting digital tools. These concerns substantially outweighed whether a tool was of French or foreign origin, according to the survey.

While 59 percent of French respondents expressed a preference for a sovereign but less performant French digital tool, this sentiment reversed among individuals under 35, where 52 percent prioritized performance over national origin.

A significant majority, 74 percent of French people, believe that collaborations between global and French technology actors can strengthen the nation’s digital sovereignty. This view was even more pronounced among those under 35, with 85 percent supporting such partnerships.

The survey also highlighted distinctions in data importance, with administrative data (90 percent) and health data (87 percent) considered most critical for national sovereignty. Social media data was viewed as less critical, with 59 percent deeming it important.

Global technology companies, often referred to as GAFAM, were perceived as more innovative by 38 percent of respondents, compared to 13 percent who saw French actors as more innovative. However, French actors garnered slightly more trust for security (23 percent versus 21 percent for global actors) and data protection (25 percent versus 19 percent).

Source: Abondance