UK Urged To Unplug From US Tech Giants as Digital Sovereignty Fears Grow - Slashdot

UK Urged To Unplug From US Tech Giants as Digital Sovereignty Fears Grow - Slashdot
Close
binspam
dupe
notthebest
offtopic
slownewsday
stale
stupid
fresh
funny
insightful
interesting
maybe
offtopic
flamebait
troll
redundant
overrated
insightful
interesting
informative
funny
underrated
descriptive
typo
dupe
error
180526417
story
An anonymous reader shares a report:
The Open Rights Group is warning politicians that the UK is leaning far too heavily on US tech companies to run critical systems, and wants the Cybersecurity and Resilience Bill to
force a rethink
The digital rights outfit says the bill, which is due to receive its second reading in the House of Commons today, represents a rare opportunity to force the government to confront what it sees as a strategic blind spot: the UK's reliance on companies such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and data analytics biz Palantir for everything from cloud hosting to sensitive public sector systems.
"Just as relying on one country for the UK's energy needs would be risky and irresponsible, so is overreliance on US companies to supply the bulk of our digital infrastructure," said James Baker, platform power programme manager at Open Rights Group. He argued that digital infrastructure has become an extension of geopolitical power, and the UK is increasingly vulnerable to decisions taken far beyond Westminster's control.
You may like to read:
HP Pushes PC-in-a-Keyboard for Businesses With Hot Desks
Does a Gas-Guzzler Revival Risk Dead-End Futures for US Automakers?
Americans' Junk-Filled Garages Are Hurting EV Adoption, Study Says
Americans are Buying Twice as Many Hybrids as Fully Electric Vehicles. Is The Next Step Synthetic Fuels?
EV Sales Keep Growing In the US, Represent 20% of Global Car Sales and Half in China
China Is Mass-Producing Hypersonic Missiles For $99,000
Many Schools Don't Think Students Can Read Full Novels Anymore
This discussion has been archived.

No new comments can be posted.
UK Urged To Unplug From US Tech Giants as Digital Sovereignty Fears Grow
More
UK Urged To Unplug From US Tech Giants as Digital Sovereignty Fears Grow
Comments Filter:
All
Insightful
Informative
Interesting
Funny
The Fine Print:
The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
neighbor's cow
Score:
, Insightful)
by
groobly
( 6155920 )
writes:
on Tuesday January 06, 2026 @01:22PM (
#65905885
Why should I rely on my neighbor's cow for my milk? I'm going to buy my own cow, and milk it myself. Anyone know how to milk a cow?
Share
Re:neighbor's cow
Score:
, Interesting)
by
jd
( 1658 )
writes:
imipak@yaho[ ]om ['o.c' in gap]
on Tuesday January 06, 2026 @01:37PM (
#65905941
Homepage
Journal
Over-reliance on an unreliable source is stupid.
Britain has plenty of brilliant minds and is more than capable of building services equal, or superior, to those in the US. It honestly isn't hard - I've worked in the US tech sector and their minds are nowhere near up to scratch. Those that are are overworked, underpaid, and essentially beholden to their employer because the US is a "good ol' boy's club" where executives abuse power and authority on a regular basis. This is not a good way to run a reliable, competent, business.
Hell, give me the seed money and I'll set up an damn cloud provider that can beat the carp out of those in the US. I've been in this business longer than most of the techies working on the US cloud infrastructure but I'm also not blinded by the naive assumptions and political intrigues that have defined the sector thus far.
Parent
Share
Re: neighbor's cow
Score:
by
cs96and
( 896123 )
writes:
> Britain has plenty of brilliant minds and is more than capable of building services equal, or superior, to those in the US
Except if it is a government backed project, in which case it will be massively over budget, massively behind schedule ( soaking several different governments who have wildly different ideas about what the project should actually be), and end up being a completely broken and unusable mess
Re: neighbor's cow
Score:
by
cs96and
( 896123 )
writes:
Soaking -> spanning
Re:
Score:
by
mjwx
( 966435 )
writes:
Over-reliance on an unreliable source is stupid.
Britain has plenty of brilliant minds and is more than capable of building services equal, or superior, to those in the US. It honestly isn't hard - I've worked in the US tech sector and their minds are nowhere near up to scratch. Those that are are overworked, underpaid, and essentially beholden to their employer because the US is a "good ol' boy's club" where executives abuse power and authority on a regular basis. This is not a good way to run a reliable, competent, business.
Hell, give me the seed money and I'll set up an damn cloud provider that can beat the carp out of those in the US. I've been in this business longer than most of the techies working on the US cloud infrastructure but I'm also not blinded by the naive assumptions and political intrigues that have defined the sector thus far.
Indeed, Britain has an incredible amount of talent and opportunity but seems to lack the capability to realise that opportunity, so a lot of them go flying by.
The UK government should have been supporting it's tech sector for the last few governments at least but seemed happy to ignore it or at best, treat it as a cash cow. Now the US is unreliable and this can no longer be denied, the tech sector is scrambling to get things back under UK or EU datacentres. Not helped of course by the RAM shortage. Oh de
Re:
Score:
by
Sloppy
( 14984 )
writes:
Here's the problem: if you stop relying on my cow, then the rest of my family here in my house, might start thinking
they
are allowed to get their milk elsewhere, too, thereby avoiding all the mind-altering drugs that I have been secretly putting in the milk to control everyone. Stop poisoning my family's minds with this subversive "use a different cow" talk!
If UK and EU citizens don't have to use our data-hungry and ad-barking servers, then US citizens might get the same idea! Surely you can see why that's
Re:neighbor's cow
Score:
, Insightful)
by
Gilgaron
( 575091 )
writes:
on Tuesday January 06, 2026 @01:43PM (
#65905973
If your neighbor is looking to annex some of your green lands, say, then yeah you'd want to have your own cow and learn to milk it. Depending on how bad you want to, you could hire away some of the farmhands to get stood up faster.
Parent
Share
Re:
Score:
by
AmiMoJo
( 196126 )
writes:
It's the nightmare scenario. A demented fascist in the White House, with eyes on Europe. Weak democracy that can't stop him.
Europe needs to step up. If we can't capture Trump, at least we can defend Greenland.
Re:
Score:
by
dunkelfalke
( 91624 )
writes:
Not against the USA. The best we could do is to make an invasion costly.
Re:
Score:
by
whitroth
( 9367 )
writes:
Ghu, how stupid can you be?
Maybe because that if the UK, a sovereign nation, does something that the Orange Demented Idiot doesn't like, their cloud and SaaS can be shut down?
I don't use any cloud, and I use libreoffice, NOTHING from M$.
We are literally threatening to invade
Score:
, Insightful)
by
rsilvergun
( 571051 )
writes:
on Tuesday January 06, 2026 @01:24PM (
#65905899
A NATO Nation. And there is every likelihood that we are going to do it. It's also pretty obvious that unless the republicans in Congress act Trump will invade Mexico and eventually Canada. And since they're all afraid of trump endorsing primary challengers against them the Republicans will not be doing that.
I don't even know what we do anymore. It's pretty obvious Trump isn't planning on having an election in 4 years. Maybe he won't pull that off or maybe he will be to senile by then, it is pretty obvious that he is taking Alzheimer's medication.
But it's also clear that 33% of the country will let Trump do literally anything, another 12 or 15% will let him do anything as long as he promises to make eggs cheap and then all he has to do is stop five or six percent from voting and it's game over.
And the crazy thing is I know some of that 33% is reading this comment right now. They keep their mouths shut when they aren't in safe spaces.
Share
Re:We are literally threatening to invade
Score:
, Insightful)
by
ArchieBunker
( 132337 )
writes:
on Tuesday January 06, 2026 @01:54PM (
#65906003
tl;dr
Democrats fault for Trump voters, not the actual Trump voters.
Parent
Share
Re:We are literally threatening to invade
Score:
, Interesting)
by
ArchieBunker
( 132337 )
writes:
on Tuesday January 06, 2026 @03:38PM (
#65906349
I knew you would mention something about trans people. See I went the entire day without thinking about them. Why can't you?
I believe that the vast majority of voters care about the economy, jobs, security, education, healthcare.
Agreed. Since the republicans control all three branches of government, what legislation are they passing to improve all these areas?
Parent
Share
Re:
Score:
, Funny)
by
Anonymous Coward
writes:
Well let's see, they obliterated the Dept of Education while attacking universities, gutted the Dept of Health, antagonized all our allies, and started a trade war. Wait, did you say improve?
Re:
Score:
by
MightyMartian
( 840721 )
writes:
So what you're saying is your average American is a fucking moron.
I can get behind that.
Yep
Score:
by
rsilvergun
( 571051 )
writes:
We always blame everyone except the people actually responsible.
It's why I get angry at old people. Because of the declining birth rates old people outnumber Young in the voting pool by a pretty wide margin before we even talk about all the nasty little tricks used to make it harder for young people to vote.
But to hear them talk about it it's not the fault of the old people who have been in charge for the last 30 or 40 years but these young whippersnappers and their ipops and their avocado toast.
Re: We are literally threatening to invade
Score:
by
fluffernutter
( 1411889 )
writes:
So the Democrats have to be reduced to dumbing down their entire campaign so that trumps followers will be able to understand? How can they possibly win while so many people believe the ills of the nation are caused by the colored people S will never be able to conceive the complexity of the real answer?
Re: We are literally threatening to invade
Score:
by
fluffernutter
( 1411889 )
writes:
I only used the racism as an example because Trump is clearly allowed to get a lot of latitude based on racism. But the problem is bigger than that. Trump's followers don't understand the world enough to know when they are being lied to. They reject actions that will help them and accept anyone who yells and has tantrums and lies to them as a form of comfort and safety. How can the Democrats possibly compete while staying true to reality? Or do they find someone who can lie worse than Trump and just do
Re:
Score:
, Informative)
by
jacks smirking reven
( 909048 )
writes:
It's the media and you can listen to Trump supporters literally say they much prefer their media provide them words that make them feel good rather than what is true or accurate.
Trump has complete dominance over conservative media and conservative media is dominant across the country. Any accusations of "mainstream liberal media" is gaslighting at this point.
Re:
Score:
by
Brain-Fu
( 1274756 )
writes:
Based on how this thread went, it appears the answer is "no, the democrats aren't ready to have an honest conversation. All they want to do is spew hatred and project their own bigotry."
Sad.
Re:We are literally threatening to invade
Score:
, Informative)
by
dmorelli
( 615543 )
writes:
on Tuesday January 06, 2026 @03:08PM (
#65906237
Trump said this
today
[express.co.uk] ), and it's not even remotely the first time:
Mr Trump ranted: "They have the worst policy. How we have to even run against these people. Now I won't say cancel the election, they should cancel the election, because the fake news will say, 'He wants the elections canceled. He's a dictator.'"
So, my advice to you, my crack-smoker friend, is to pull your head out. You sound like the aholes who told me in 2024 we needed Trump back in office to keep Harris from getting us into more wars. Uh huh, we're overreacting, yup, got it.
Parent
Share
Re:
Score:
by
dunkelfalke
( 91624 )
writes:
Look, I despise the orange shitgibbon too, but the Daily Express is by far the worst ragsheet in the UK; even the Daily Heil looks like a progressive bastion of truth next to it.
Re: We are literally threatening to invade
Score:
, Insightful)
by
muffen
( 321442 )
writes:
on Tuesday January 06, 2026 @03:12PM (
#65906263
Venezuela had an election, Russia did too, of course Trump will hold an election.
Parent
Share
Re:
Score:
by
sinkskinkshrieks
( 6952954 )
writes:
Invading Greenland would be the dumbest thing ever because it wouldn't work. And it would end NATO, make the US a real pariah state, and the US population would suffer under sanctions.
Analysis
[youtu.be].
More analysis
[youtu.be].
There are also
political and economic efforts by Lauder and Motzfeldt to undermine their own people
[youtu.be] and sell Greenland to the US.
Rich people are largely Dunning-Kruger effect morons who believe they are entitled to rule the world and make everyone else suffer if it makes them money.
The way Trump is talking..
Score:
, Insightful)
by
JamesTRexx
( 675890 )
writes:
on Tuesday January 06, 2026 @01:27PM (
#65905915
Journal
..cutting off any reliance on the USA as soon as possible is a good idea. After all, unreliable components should be replaced.
I only wonder what will be financially left of MS, Alfabet, Meta, etcetera when ther only consumers are in the USA.
Share
Re:
Score:
by
Anonymous Coward
writes:
Cut off any reliance on the USA, and you will be tariffied
It pisses me off seeing Republicans
Score:
, Insightful)
by
rsilvergun
( 571051 )
writes:
on Tuesday January 06, 2026 @01:38PM (
#65905947
Too fucking scared of a primary Challenger to do anything about him. This is an even the usual party before country this is career before country.
Plus the billionaires simply do not give a fuck because they're global and they don't care if America collapses they win either way because the house always wins.
Meanwhile voters don't give a shit. If Richard Nixon did 1/10 of what Donald Trump did the voters would be calling for his head on a platter. That's why the Republicans back then impeached Nixon the voter has made it very clear that anyone who didn't was going to be out in the next election.
I wish I could get a trump voter to honestly explain to me why it is they do not care how corrupt he is. I mean is it really just because they think it's funny how I yell and scream about the enormous problems caused by the end of democracy? Are they really that bitter jaded and stupid that making me upset is more important than the stability of the country?
Parent
Share
Re:
Score:
by
Sloppy
( 14984 )
writes:
Hey Europe, make your own competitors, and then the question will be..
I only wonder what will be financially left of MS, Alfabet, Meta, etcetera when ther only consumers are in the USA.
..why should US consumers use
these
services?
No shit
Score:
, Insightful)
by
abulafia
( 7826 )
writes:
The US is a rogue nation wearing a superpower skinsuit.
One that has already telegraphed a strong desire to push Europe into fascism but also abandon it.
Trump/Vance and the surrounding machine is gleefully shitting on the international order, and while it will be disastrous for the US long-term, it is a very real short-term threat now.
Re:
Score:
by
Brett Buck
( 811747 )
writes:
Yes, the pigs all squeal when you take away their slop.
Make UK Great Again (Pronounced 'Moo-Gah)'
Score:
, Funny)
by
GeekWithAKnife
( 2717871 )
writes:
on Tuesday January 06, 2026 @01:43PM (
#65905975
If the honourable, noble peace prize deserving president Trump rightly needs to manage Greenland for US security and later Canada will become a glorious US state then the UK should think of itself as inevitable the crown jewel!
The special relationship will ensure the UK is treated as beautifully as any of Trump's past or present wives/porn stars/Epstein friends.
Looking forward to swimming in the Trump channel and visiting the Trump's Lakes district where all will be rimmed in gold.
PS.
If you see Nigel please thank him for bringing these two great countries closer and away from those awful Europeans, I mean EU-ians...
(because we love Europe but we hate their cooperation, sensibility, democracy, social justice, privacy laws, cooperation, tax free zones, freedom of movement and some of their countries.)
Share
Good luck breaking the dependence
Score:
by
Anonymous Coward
writes:
Cut off Apple. Then do Google and Microsoft.
Now what? Rolls Royce is already threatening to move its jet engine operations to the US, this would push them over the edge. So would many other businesses that can no longer compete.
No one outside of the UK will use a home-grown substitutes. Pretty soon you're back to the 1990s.
The US is not safe right now.
Score:
by
jd
( 1658 )
writes:
I don't care what side of the political spectrum anyone is on, the fact remains that politics is volatile and tribal, the companies handling the hosting and services are grossly mismanaged and incompetent, and we cannot guarantee that transatlantic connectivity is safe or secure.
Mind you, it's hard to guarantee anything in the UK is safe or secure, either, with politicians continuing to act like nutters in their obsession to read other people's emails and dictate who is and is not permitted to access a VPN.
Re:
Score:
by
Beyond_GoodandEvil
( 769135 )
writes:
the UK actually has decent laws and the legal system is still largely independent, which is something.
Tell that to Graham Linehan. I'm sure he'd have a different view.
UK is jailing people for simply criticizing others
Score:
, Insightful)
by
schwit1
( 797399 )
writes:
on Tuesday January 06, 2026 @02:58PM (
#65906205
[washingtonpost.com]
Start with Britain, where "grossly offensive" communications can be a police matter. In 2023,
British police made
[parliament.uk] more than 12,000 arrests
under two
[legislation.gov.uk] communications
statutes
[legislation.gov.uk]. For comparison, during America’s first Red Scare, from 1919 to 1920, one of the worst crackdowns on speech in the nation’s history, the United States averaged
about 2,000 arrests per year
[uh.edu], when the
U.S. population
[census.gov] was more than
50 percent bigger
[worldometers.info] than Britain’s today.
Behind the numbers are stories like that of Elizabeth Kinney, a mother of four
who was arrested
[thesun.co.uk] for having called a man who assaulted her a homophobic slur — not to his face, but in a private message to a friend. After the two fell out, the now former friend sent the messages to law enforcement. Kinney’s attacker wasn’t punished, but she was, under the Malicious Communications Act. Told she potentially faced 10 years in prison, Kinney
pleaded guilty
[ibtimes.co.uk]. She was sentenced to the British equivalent of probation and community service, and fined the equivalent of nearly $500.
Share
Re:
Score:
by
Rabid Elk
( 577476 )
writes:
Given that 33% of american voters think that whatever trump says is somehow reality, maybe there should be some policing of information or speech.
Donald the dove is doing so well, and has literally blamed the 2025 economic figures on Biden, AND taken credit for the stronger 2024 figures.
Re:
Score:
by
ArchieBunker
( 132337 )
writes:
tl;dr
Whataboutism.
Re:
Score:
by
Xarius
( 691264 )
writes:
The USA has 25% of the world's prison population, with only 5% of the population. Get a grip.
The "absolute freedom of speech" delusion is uniquely an American one, the rest of the world isn't that naive.
Related Links
Top of the:
day
week
month
384
comments
Does a Gas-Guzzler Revival Risk Dead-End Futures for US Automakers?
377
comments
Americans' Junk-Filled Garages Are Hurting EV Adoption, Study Says
363
comments
Americans are Buying Twice as Many Hybrids as Fully Electric Vehicles. Is The Next Step Synthetic Fuels?
323
comments
EV Sales Keep Growing In the US, Represent 20% of Global Car Sales and Half in China
314
comments
China Is Mass-Producing Hypersonic Missiles For $99,000
next
Many Schools Don't Think Students Can Read Full Novels Anymore
143
comments
previous
HP Pushes PC-in-a-Keyboard for Businesses With Hot Desks
89
comments
Slashdot Top Deals
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so
certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts."
-- Bertrand Russell
Close
Working...