In 2020, Helsinki was ranked the world’s second smartest city, after Singapore, and won a top design prize for creating a “digital twin” or a computer model of the newly built neighborhood Kalasatama, in central Helsinki. So what makes Helsinki “smart”?

Henri Verdier, France’s ambassador for digital affairs, said the decision was both personal and political. He decided on February 1 that he would permanently leave the social network and the messaging app it owns.