Even the French government is switching to Linux now in a bid for 'digital sovereignty'

In a seminar on April 8, a handful of groups from the French government got together to discuss digital sovereignty and "accelerating the reduction of its extra-European dependencies." One such act is to move away from Windows, the US-made operating system, entirely.

The solution? Linux.

As noted by Tom's Hardware, and detailed in a report, the French government has announced "its exit from Windows in favor of workstations running on the Linux operating system".

This is declared by the Directorate General for Enterprises (DINUM), alongside the Directorate General for Enterprises (DGE), the National Cybersecurity Agency of France (ANSSI) and the State Procurement Directorate (DAE).

Importantly, there are plenty of reasons to want to switch to Linux. Unlike Windows, this operating system is free and open-source, and it's popular for its customisability and efficiency. Traditionally, it's used by developers because of the granularity of control available to them.

As well as this, there are plenty who simply do not like Microsoft or Windows. Its constant introduction of AI tools (though it does appear to be rolling back Copilot branding and has even removed AI from the Snipping Tool), without or without encouragement, plus its role in geopolitics, certainly leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

However, the French government isn't switching from Windows because of quabbles or efficiency. It is simply trying to move its tools over to ones not owned by other states. The nature of Linux means that one can easily set up their own distro with little outside interference and without being reliant on American companies.

The French government also plans on moving its 80,000 agents in the National Health Insurance Fund over to 'sovereign solutions', and it reportedly plans to do so by the end of 2026.

David Amiel, the Minister of Public Action and Accounts, says, "The State can no longer simply acknowledge its dependence; it must break free. We must become less reliant on American tools and regain control of our digital destiny."

He continues, "We can no longer accept that our data, our infrastructure, and our strategic decisions depend on solutions whose rules, pricing, evolution, and risks we do not control."