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Germany Says Aims to be World Leader in Quantum Technologies

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands next to a Quantum system during the inauguration of IBM's quantum data center at the IBM Campus in Ehningen, southern Germany, on October 1, 2024. (Photo by SILAS STEIN / AFP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands next to a Quantum system during the inauguration of IBM's quantum data center at the IBM Campus in Ehningen, southern Germany, on October 1, 2024. (Photo by SILAS STEIN / AFP)
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Germany Says Aims to be World Leader in Quantum Technologies

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands next to a Quantum system during the inauguration of IBM's quantum data center at the IBM Campus in Ehningen, southern Germany, on October 1, 2024. (Photo by SILAS STEIN / AFP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands next to a Quantum system during the inauguration of IBM's quantum data center at the IBM Campus in Ehningen, southern Germany, on October 1, 2024. (Photo by SILAS STEIN / AFP)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed to support the development of quantum technologies, saying at the opening of an IBM data center on Tuesday that investment in the sector was crucial for the future of Europe's biggest economy.

"Our goal is clear: to be global leader in quantum technologies," said Scholz, adding Germany had invested 2 billion euros ($2.22 billion) on quantum technology since 2020.

"This is the basis of our economic success and prosperity," he said at the opening of IBM's Quantum European Data Center in Ehningen, a roughly 290-million-euro investment. The center will allow users in Europe and elsewhere to access services for cloud-based quantum computing research, Reuters reported.

Quantum computers could operate millions of times faster than advanced supercomputers. So far, the United States and China have led the technology.

Other projects in Germany include the joint development of quantum processors by Infineon and eleQtron GmbH.
Scholz said Germany was focused on semiconductors, AI, pharmaceuticals and bio- and climate technologies.
"These are the areas we need to lead," said Scholz.

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Mozilla Hit with Privacy Complaint Over Firefox User Tracking

FILE PHOTO: The Firefox logo is seen at a Mozilla stand during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 28, 2013. REUTERS/Albert Gea/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Firefox logo is seen at a Mozilla stand during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 28, 2013. REUTERS/Albert Gea/File Photo
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Mozilla Hit with Privacy Complaint Over Firefox User Tracking

FILE PHOTO: The Firefox logo is seen at a Mozilla stand during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 28, 2013. REUTERS/Albert Gea/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Firefox logo is seen at a Mozilla stand during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 28, 2013. REUTERS/Albert Gea/File Photo

Vienna-based advocacy group NOYB on Wednesday said it has filed a complaint with the Austrian data protection authority against Mozilla accusing the Firefox browser maker of tracking user behavior on websites without consent.
NOYB (None Of Your Business), the digital rights group founded by privacy activist Max Schrems, said Mozilla has enabled a so-called “privacy preserving attribution” feature that turned the browser into a tracking tool for websites without directly telling its users, Reuters reported.
Mozilla had defended the feature, saying it wanted to help websites understand how their ads perform without collecting data about individual people. By offering what it called a non-invasive alternative to cross-site tracking, it hoped to significantly reduce collecting individual information.
While this may be less invasive than unlimited tracking, it still interferes with user rights under the EU’s privacy laws, NOYB said, adding that Firefox has turned on the feature by default.
“It’s a shame that an organization like Mozilla believes that users are too dumb to say yes or no,” said Felix Mikolasch, data protection lawyer at NOYB. “Users should be able to make a choice and the feature should have been turned off by default.”
Open-source Firefox was once a top browser choice among users due to its privacy features but now lags market leader Google’s Chrome, Apple’s Safari and Microsoft’s Edge with a low single-digit market share.
NOYB wants Mozilla to inform users about its data processing activities, switch to an opt-in system and delete all unlawfully processed data of millions of affected users.
NOYB, which in June filed a complaint against Alphabet for allegedly tracking users of its Chrome browser, had also filed hundreds of complaints against big tech companies, some leading to big fines.