EU Parliament Ditches Google for French Rival Qwant
The switch, first revealed through an internal communication cited by media, will take effect across in-house computers used within the legislature — marking one of the most significant institutional breaks with Google's search dominance in Europe to date.
In an email to lawmakers, officials framed the decision as a direct expression of the Parliament's commitment to digital sovereignty and the protection of users' personal data. Qwant was described in the correspondence as a "privacy-focused European search engine" that does not track users or collect personal data — a stark contrast to Google's data-harvesting advertising model.
Under the new configuration, searches entered through the address bar in both Firefox and Edge browsers will be automatically routed through Qwant. Lawmakers, however, will retain the freedom to use rival search engines or manually override their default browser settings.
The decision reflects a broader push within European Union institutions to reduce technological dependence on non-European, and particularly American, platforms — a conversation that has intensified amid ongoing transatlantic tensions over data protection, regulatory sovereignty and the dominance of US Big Tech firms.
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