Chinese gizmos overtake Europe, leaving Brussels to chase its own vacuum‑cleaning policy

A robot vacuum in a Brussels ministry was spotted dutifully circling a stack of draft regulations, as if it were searching for a missing privacy clause.

Meanwhile, Chinese manufacturers are quietly installing their electric cars in parking lots across the continent, polishing their action‑camera lenses, and polishing the corners of European market share.

EU officials have responded with the usual chorus of concern, warning that the surge of Chinese gadgets could turn every office into a covert data‑collection playground. The message, however, has been lost amid the hum of a new generation of vacuum cleaners that can map an entire building in seconds.

Western firms are now being asked to prove that their smartphones are not secretly broadcasting the sound of a politician’s sighs, while Chinese rivals simply smile and ship the next model with a built‑in firewall that looks suspiciously like a piece of paper.

In the end, the European Commission may have to issue a new directive: “If you can’t beat them, at least make sure your vacuum doesn’t leak your email passwords.”