France ditches US video Apps in push for digital sovereignty

France will prohibit public officials from using American videoconferencing platforms such as Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams, an official told POLITICO. The move is part of a broader effort to transition government activities onto a domestically developed technology platform amid growing European concerns over reliance on US services.

The Prime Minister’s office has drafted a notice requiring state officials to adopt Visio, a videoconferencing software created by the country’s Interministerial Digital Authority (Dinum). The platform runs on infrastructure provided by French company Outscale. “The notice will be published in the next few days,” a Dinum spokesperson confirmed.

The announcement follows a statement on January 25 by Minister for State Reform David Amiel, who said France intends to achieve widespread adoption of a home-grown videoconferencing platform by 2027.

Last summer, France also mandated that officials stop using WhatsApp and Telegram, instead adopting Tchap, an instant messaging service designed exclusively for civil servants.

Visio is already in use by roughly 40,000 staff members, including most ministries and some affiliated organizations such as the French National Centre for Scientific Research. Dinum aims to expand the user base to 250,000. The department will oversee compliance with the transition and may, in the coming months, block traffic from other video platforms through the state’s internet network, it said.

By Vafa Guliyeva