August 9, 2026 — European business is facing an unprecedented crisis of trust in American technology giants. According to a large-scale study conducted by the Swiss company Proton in August 2026, nearly three-quarters of companies in the UK, Germany, and France fear that Washington could restrict their access to critical digital services at any moment. The paradox of the situation is that, despite recognizing the threat, less than half of the enterprises have prepared for a scenario of complete disconnection.
Technological dependency as a strategic risk
The study, covering 1,500 companies in key European economies, revealed a shocking degree of dependence on American software. More than 74% of all European public companies are critically dependent on US services, while the local cloud technology market is controlled by European players by only 15%. For a long time, European business relied on Microsoft and Google ecosystems, using them for email, office tasks, and cloud storage. However, the transition to the cloud gave American providers leverage: now they can cut off access to any client instantly, complying with directives from their authorities.
Particularly alarming is the fact that Identity and Access Management (IAM) tools in Europe are almost entirely controlled by American suppliers. This means that in the event of a political conflict or sanctions pressure, European companies could lose not just access to files, but the ability to authenticate within their own systems.
Economic losses: the cost of downtime
For European business, the disconnection of American services is not just an inconvenience, but an existential threat. More than half (54.5%) of respondents stated that in the event of losing access to tools, they would be able to continue working for no more than one working day. The financial consequences of such a scenario are estimated at astronomical sums: for 28.7% of enterprises, one day of downtime will cost more than €100,000, and 45% estimated their daily damage at over €50,000.
Service disruptions are no longer a hypothetical scenario. Every respondent confirmed that in the previous 12 months they had encountered outages, cyberattacks, or total loss of access to services, which only heightens anxiety regarding intentional disconnection by US authorities.
Plan B: the illusion of security
Although 67.8% of respondents stated their readiness to switch providers in the event of lost access, actual readiness for a crisis leaves much to be desired. Only 44% of companies have a documented action plan for a 'digital disconnection', and the majority have not yet acquired a tested backup option. Among those who are trying to prepare, email and cloud file storage remain the priorities for backup, yet comprehensive infrastructure migration is not taking place.
Contradictory data
Data analysis revealed a significant discrepancy between intentions and actual business actions. On one hand, 73.9% of respondents expressed serious concern about the possibility of access restrictions by the US. On the other hand, only one in twenty respondents (5%) expressed no concern, indicating a universal consensus regarding the threat. However, despite the high level of anxiety, only 44% of companies have a real action plan. This creates a dangerous situation where business recognizes the risk but does not take sufficient measures to mitigate it, relying on the inertia of current processes.
Geopolitical context of 2026
The fears of European business are exacerbated by rising tensions between the EU and the US. The latest round of conflict was the directive on export controls regarding advanced artificial intelligence models, specifically Anthropic technologies, for any persons outside the US. This event served as a signal to European business that access to advanced technologies could be used as a political tool, making the search for sovereign alternatives a matter of national security.
