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Ruth Mottram Mar 19, 2025

From EUmail to EuTube and Feuerfox, it's time for #EU + national govt to put money where European tech development is and help wean the continent off #UStech - fantastic, practical piece by @bert_hubert.

https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/now-how-to-get-that-european-cloud/

But how to get to that European cloud? - Bert Hubert's writings

The very short version: It has now become clear that European governments can no longer rely on American clouds, and that we lack good and comprehensive alternatives. Market forces have failed to deliver a truly European cloud, and businesses won’t naturally buy as yet unproven cloud services, even when adorned with a beautiful European 🇪🇺 flag, so for now nothing will happen. This article is part of a series of posts on (European) cloud challenges.

Bert Hubert's writings

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Andrew Dalke Mar 19, 2025

@Ruth_Mottram @bert_hubert

I would like to also see discussion about weaning the #EU off of US smartphones.

My government, Sweden, pretty much expects people to use Microsoft, Google, or Apple devices to access government-run digital services, with only rare support for other OSes/systems.

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Guillaume Gaullier Mar 19, 2025

@dalke If BankID works on a de-googled phone (for example one from Murena), I suppose there will be no problem at all. And you can even fall back to the small OTP device instead of the app (although much less convenient).

All government sites I need to use have always worked fine in desktop Firefox, even with uBlock and relatively strict privacy settings. Haven't tested on Linux yet, but I don't see why it would cause problems (the browser is mostly the same across different systems). I will test this soon anyway, replacing an old dying Macbook by a Linux laptop this week.

@Ruth_Mottram @bert_hubert

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Andrew Dalke Mar 19, 2025

@Guillawme @Ruth_Mottram @bert_hubert

I have asked. BankID said they do not support other OSes. If it happens to work, they do not promise it will continue to work.

What small OTP device? I've not heard mention of it.

I also don't want a smartphone at all; that's another topic.

https://www.vgregion.se/ov/hitta-vaccinationstider-vgr/vaccinationstider-covid-19/ does not work on Firefox for Mac with location services turned off. In the console:

Uncaught TypeError: navigator.geolocation is undefined

I reported it last year. They have not fixed it.

Vaccinationstider covid-19 - Västra Götalandsregionen

Här kan du se mottagningar som har lediga tider för vaccination mot covid-19 i VGR.

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Guillaume Gaullier Mar 20, 2025

@dalke Didn't you get an OTP device like the one in this picture? https://markeldo.com/images/bankid-card.jpg

I had to use a device similar to this before I could use the BankID app. In fact, every few years I have to renew the app's token using the "little calculator" as I call it.

Some sites only accept the app because you have to scan a QR code. But it would be strange if government websites didn't let you enter the one-time code given by the little calculator. I have not tried it though, because the QR code is so convenient...

@Ruth_Mottram @bert_hubert

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Andrew Dalke Mar 20, 2025

@Guillawme @Ruth_Mottram @bert_hubert

That's not BankID, that's a bank login dosa. Handelsbank's "BankID" login pages let you use it, but it can't be used to, for example, log into https://www.pensionsmyndigheten.se/

BTW, how do you like Handelsbank? I'm looking to move from Swedbank and Handelsbank seems like a good fit for me.

Vi informerar om hela pensionen | Pensionsmyndigheten

Hos Pensionsmyndigheten kan du ansöka om pension, förstå hur din pension fungerar och planera inför framtiden. Gör en prognos och se vad du kan få per månad!

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Guillaume Gaullier

@dalke I see, maybe different banks call this device differently. My bank seems to conflate the two, by calling the app "digital BankID" (and implying the OTP device is therefore a "non-digital" BankID, as in "not an app").

I don't have an account at Handelsbanken by the way, so can't answer your question. The picture is not mine, and it's a coincidence that the ID card has the same first name as me (I hadn't noticed when looking up a picture online).

@Ruth_Mottram @bert_hubert