For some reason it's a big national security concern when Chinese companies collect data on US citizens, but when Europeans apply the same caution with American companies, people across the Atlantic see it purely from a business perspective. Why is that?
This isn't TikTok and what people do on their private phones. This is a foreign company that has the capability to siphon off a lot of data about business decisions, businesses connections, contracts etc.
Imagine things would move towards every electronic document in American companies going through the servers of a European country, say in France. Do you really believe, there wouldn't be an outcry in Washington? Do you really believe, Congress would just watch? Do you really believe, US security agencies would just sit idly by? I don't.
This has nothing to do with totalitarian countries. Regardless of the political system, this is about a loss of control. About industrial espionage. Ask anyone who's work concerns US national security how much they trust foreign democries, like for instance France.
Let's be real, no Western country is banning Chinese products or services because China is spying on their own citizens or abusing Uyghurs. That's at best the "feel good" story sold in the media to get the people's support and distract from other issues. They're banning them for 2 reasons. One is that China will abuse them to spy and get a competitive advantage over those other countries. The second is that it's hard to compete in price so local alternatives are pushed out.
In the same vein the EU isn't blocking a US company from collecting data because the US is spying on its own citizens and abusing people of color. They're doing it for almost the same 2 reasons. Everyone knows (with evidence) that the US will abuse them to spy and get a competitive advantage. The second is that it's hard to compete in performance/features so local alternatives are pushed out.
The only reason to see a difference here is nationalistic bias. And that's fair enough, most people aren't educated enough (not talking just academic degrees) to be capable of critical thinking when their own principles or morals are under attack. They will just go to the first easy, "feel good" explanation when they do something to others, and the opposite when others do something to them.
This isn't TikTok and what people do on their private phones. This is a foreign company that has the capability to siphon off a lot of data about business decisions, businesses connections, contracts etc.