My name is Roy Clerx and I’m a Dutch national. I’m someone who is passionate about technology and has strong European roots, but also a broad view of the world. I’ve had the opportunity to visit many countries and what I mainly learned is that there is even more yet to be seen. In recent years, I’ve become worried by how many countries seem to be pulling inward and how some leaders act unpredictably with detrimental effects to their nation and the world. At the same time, Europeans are addicted to American Big Tech (Google/Apple/Microsoft, etc.) and some Chinese Big Tech (Tiktok, Alibaba) as well. While there seem to be no European alternatives. Despite of this, I believe Europe has vast potential when it comes to technology and innovation, but that potential is only fulfilled to a very limited extent.
In my daily life, I work as an enterprise architect for a large telecommunications company in the Netherlands. In that role, I get to see firsthand how important it is to have strong, reliable and independent digital systems. And how difficult it is to create, maintain and run those. I am also a father and would love my son to grow up in a safe world, with technology that supports my son reliably and ethically.
This site is my way of sharing ideas about European digital options, which do exist but are not yet very apparent. I want to encourage people in Europe—and beyond—to start using more European tech. Doing so can help create a more balanced digital world and support a safer, more independent future not only for Europeans, but for all of us.