UK Urged To Unplug From US Tech Giants as Digital Sovereignty Fears Grow (theregister.com)
- Reference: 0180526417
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/01/06/1353214/uk-urged-to-unplug-from-us-tech-giants-as-digital-sovereignty-fears-grow
- Source link: https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/06/uk_urged_to_unplug_from/
> 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 [1]force a rethink .
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> 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.
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> "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.
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/06/uk_urged_to_unplug_from/
We are literally threatening to invade (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Re:We are literally threatening to invade (Score:4, Insightful)
tl;dr
Democrats fault for Trump voters, not the actual Trump voters.
Re:We are literally threatening to invade (Score:5, Interesting)
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?
Re: (Score:2)
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:2)
So what you're saying is your average American is a fucking moron.
I can get behind that.
Yep (Score:2)
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: (Score:2, Informative)
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:We are literally threatening to invade (Score:4, Informative)
Trump said this today ( [1]https://www.express.co.uk/news... [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.
[1] https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/2154343/donald-trump-speech-elections-republican-january-6
Re: (Score:1)
All of this was said under George W Bush and it didn't happen.
Obama won a peace prize and then tried to take America to war with Syria. When he couldn't, he carpet bombed Libya. The black president literally created Africa's largest slavery market by destroying that country.
It's not the Blue Team. It's not the Red Team. The CIA put Trump, Biden, Obama and Bush in power. No one gets in without their blessing. Not since JFK. The elections won't get cancelled. That's to make you all fearful and piss your
Re: We are literally threatening to invade (Score:5, Insightful)
Venezuela had an election, Russia did too, of course Trump will hold an election.
The way Trump is talking.. (Score:4, Insightful)
..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.
Re: (Score:1)
Cut off any reliance on the USA, and you will be tariffied
It pisses me off seeing Republicans (Score:5, Insightful)
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?
Re: (Score:2)
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:1, Troll)
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:2)
Yes, the pigs all squeal when you take away their slop.
Make UK Great Again (Pronounced 'Moo-Gah)' (Score:5, Funny)
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.)
Good luck breaking the dependence (Score:1)
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:2)
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:1)
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:3, Insightful)
[1]https://www.washingtonpost.com... [washingtonpost.com]
Start with Britain, where "grossly offensive" communications can be a police matter. In 2023, [2]British police made [parliament.uk] more than 12,000 arrests [3]under two [legislation.gov.uk] communications [4]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 [5]about 2,000 arrests per year [uh.edu], when the [6]U.S. population [census.gov] was more than [7]50 percent bigger [worldometers.info] than Britain’s today.
Behind the numbers are stories like that of Elizabeth Kinney, a mother of four [8]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 [9]pleaded guilty [ibtimes.co.uk]. She was sentenced to the British equivalent of probation and community service, and fined the equivalent of nearly $500.
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/01/06/hate-speech-censorship-campus-european-union-britain/
[2] https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2025-07-17/debates/F807CB70-D90D-4A19-9433-99539B7CF21F/OnlineCommunicationOffenceArrests#:~:text=In%202023%20alone,their%20own%20time.
[3] https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/21/section/127
[4] https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/27/section/1
[5] https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3381
[6] https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html
[7] https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/uk-population/
[8] https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/37356128/mum-convicted-hate-crime-text-attacker/
[9] https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/terrified-naked-mum-four-arrested-after-texts-branded-hate-speech-1759907
Re: (Score:1)
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:3)
tl;dr
Whataboutism.
neighbor's cow (Score:3, Insightful)
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?
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
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, c
Re: (Score:3)
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:4, Insightful)
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.
Re: (Score:2)
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$.