BRUSSELS: A new European social media platform is betting that privacy, identity verification and genuine human interaction can help it compete with American tech giants such as X and Bluesky.

W Social, which unveiled its platform at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year, launched its public beta in Brussels last month.

The company says it wants to bring the "social" back to social media by prioritising interactions between people rather than chatbots.

It also plans to host all user data on European servers under European Union privacy laws, while adopting strict age and identity verification requirements.

Its launch comes as the EU seeks to regain greater control over its digital infrastructure and support home-grown innovation.

NOT ONLY A REGULATORY FOCUS

For years, the EU has been known for setting global standards for digital regulation, from data privacy to online competition.

But there have been growing concerns that Europe is losing ground to the United States and China in advanced technologies. Now, policymakers want Europe to become a tech leader in its own right.

W Social says Europe will need to do more if it wants to achieve that ambition.

"The EU has been lagging behind; it also needs to help companies to succeed, it can't only regulate them," the platform’s co-founder and chairman Ingmar Rentzhog told CNA.

"If we don't step up, all our innovations are going outside to other places."

REDUCING DIGITAL DEPENDENCE