UK told its Big Tech habit is now a national security risk

Steven

UK told its Big Tech habit is now a national security risk

Summary

The Open Rights Group (ORG) warns that years of wiring the UK public sector into US Big Tech has created a national security vulnerability. ORG’s report, “Tech Giants and Giant Slayers,” argues a small number of US megacorps now control critical digital infrastructure, influence policy, and impose economic and security costs on the UK.

The report highlights examples where platform control intersected with geopolitics — citing alleged service shutdowns tied to US sanctions against the ICC — and warns that reliance on foreign providers could leave Britain exposed if political relations deteriorate. It points to lobbying that has weakened regulation and competition, and notes the Competition and Markets Authority estimates at least £500m a year is overspent on cloud services. ORG urges a shift to open source, domestic capability and a deliberate digital sovereignty strategy to reduce dependency.

Key Points

  • Open Rights Group says UK reliance on US Big Tech is now an urgent national security issue.
  • The report claims Big Tech has shaped policy to its advantage, lobbying against stricter AI rules, stronger data protection and tougher competition law.
  • Examples cited include alleged service suspensions related to US sanctions, showing how platform actions can have geopolitical consequences.
  • The Competition and Markets Authority estimates at least £500m is overspent annually on cloud services due to vendor lock-in and poor contracting.
  • Legal frameworks such as the US CLOUD Act and foreign national intelligence laws increase the risk of data and service exposure irrespective of UK preferences.
  • Politicians across parties have called for greater resilience; ORG recommends more open source, domestic capability and a clear digital sovereignty strategy.
  • The report criticises government policy and contracts (eg. Palantir) as reinforcing dependency rather than reducing it.

Context and relevance

The UK has extensively integrated US cloud, platforms and tooling into public services and infrastructure. That makes this report relevant to anyone involved in government IT, national security, procurement, or tech policy. It ties into broader European moves towards sovereign clouds and localised digital infrastructure, and speaks to debates about tech regulation, procurement transparency, and the strategic risks of vendor concentration.

Why should I read this?

If you care about UK tech resilience — read the short version: we’re hooked on a few US giants and that could bite us when politics gets messy. This piece flags where the danger really is and what fixes people are pushing. Quick, useful and a bit alarming.

Author style

Punchy. The article distils ORG’s report into a clear warning: this isn’t just vendor grumbling, it’s a strategic issue. If you work in government IT, security or procurement, the detail matters; the government’s current approach may be reinforcing the problem.

Source

Source: https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/04/15/uk_big_tech_dependence/