The European Parliament plans to transition from Google as its default search engine to the French alternative Quant, effective June 4. This shift aligns with the EU's efforts to enhance digital sovereignty and reduce dependency on foreign technology. An internal communication reportedly highlighted Quant as a "privacy-focused European search engine," emphasizing the protection of personal data for users.
Members of the Parliament will still have the option to select different search engines if they choose. This decision reflects broader strategies within the European Union to favor local alternatives, as indicated by the upcoming announcement of a sovereignty package by the European Commission on June 3.
France is actively pursuing similar initiatives, including plans to transition its government workstations from Windows to Linux and replace tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams with the native Visio for video conferencing. The movement away from Google is part of a growing trend, as evidenced by DuckDuckGo's reported surge in app installs following Google's recent updates, which further incorporate artificial intelligence into search functionalities.