UK tech leaders want the government to stop buying US cloud

New research reveals a surge in interest in data sovereignty among UK IT leaders since the implementation of the United States government's historic raft of tariffs in April.

The study from Civo, of over 1,000 UK-based IT leaders, shows more than 60 percent now feel that the UK government’s use of US cloud services exposes the country's digital economy to significant risks, damages its domestic industry, and threatens data security.

Nearly half of those surveyed (45 percent) are already actively considering repatriating from the cloud, and 40 percent say that transparency and greater compliance with EU and UK data protection regulations are factors that would make them more likely to move away from US providers.

This doesn't only apply to the cloud, over two-thirds of respondents say they'd only agree to use AI if they had absolute certainty that they owned all inputs and outputs -- a level of visibility and control not offered by the majority of the largest providers. This points to a broader erosion of trust in the largest providers, with only 36.6 percent saying they trust big tech AI providers to handle their data.

Mark Boost, CEO of Civo, says:

These results will be no surprise to anyone with their ear to the ground in the industry. People are more alert than ever to just how valuable their data is, and it's been astonishing how quickly cloud repatriation and sovereignty have become leading strategic considerations for IT leaders. The market is crying out for greater visibility over where data is stored, used, and transferred, and at present, US providers are failing to meet that demand.

For our public institutions, the message couldn't be clearer. Legislation like the CLOUD Act means that at any time, providers based in the US may have to share users' data, regardless of where in the world that user is based or where their data is stored. This prevents US providers from offering users full control, and when it comes to government data, anything less than full sovereignty represents a significant risk. It's time for the UK to match the energy of European sovereignty initiatives like EuroStack to help reduce reliance on hyperscale providers whilst still encouraging transatlantic collaboration.

You can get the full report from the Civo site.

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