Open Rights Group is urging MPs to vote for an amendment to the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill that would require the government to develop a Digital Sovereignty strategy that would help secure the resilience and independence of the UK’s critical infrastructure. Tabled by Liberal Democrat MP Victoria Collins, it is also supported by cross party MPs including Labour’s Clive Lewis and the Green’s Sian Berry and Adrian Ramsey.

Risks from overreliance on US Big Tech

The need for a Digital Sovereignty strategy – defined as the ability of a country to have control over its digital infrastructure, data and technology – has become more urgent as a result of increased geopolitical uncertainty as a result of US foreign policy actions. The US has tech powers of sanction which can be used to stop a company from supplying a government, institution or individual with services. If the UK’s relationship with the US were to deteriorate, for example over Greenland or Iran, the US could leverage power through its corporate dominance of the UK’s critical infrastructure.

These companies are also locking public bodies into proprietary systems, leading to inflated costs for government and businesses, and the extraction of value from the UK economy through tax avoidance and profit repatriation.

In addition, there are concerns about the influence of companies like Palantir, who recently published a manifesto promoting US military power as a goal. The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee has described Palantir’s increasing presence in public services as an “unacceptable point of weakness”.

See Open Rights Group’s report: Tech Giants and Giant Slayers: The case for Digital Sovereignty and the Digital Commons

Benefits of a Digital Sovereignty Strategy

A Digital Sovereignty Strategy would help the UK assess and reduce risks from foreign interference, vendor lock-in, insecure supply chains and over-reliance on foreign-supplied technologies. It would also support UK jobs, skills and innovation by encouraging investment in domestic capacity, open source software, open standards and more competitive technology markets.

Digital sovereignty does not mean isolationism or protectionism. It should mean ensuring that the UK has secure, resilient and reliable access to the hardware, software, data and digital services it needs. The UK needs a public sector that can make technology choices in the public interest.

The EU is pursuing Digital Sovereignty

Last week, the European Commission announced proposals for tech sovereignty. Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and other EU countries are actively pursuing digital sovereignty through strategic investments in open technologies and international collaboration.

Documents that outline risks to UK from Big Tech dependence are classified

Collins, alongside the Green’s Sian Berry, Labour’s Clive Lewis and Plaid Cymru’s Ben Lake recently called for the government to publish classified documents that detail the “chronic risks” to the UK from our reliance on digital platforms and services, the dominance of global tech and the impact of AI. Digital rights campaigners, the Open Rights Group, have also requested the release of the classified documents through a freedom of information request. The publication of these risks is crucial to enable a proper public and parliamentary debate about the UK’s dependence on foreign tech companies for its critical infrastructure.

Jim Killock said:

“Big Tech companies like Palantir, Amazon and Google, have used their outsized power to gain control of the UK’s digital infrastructure, influence government policy in their favour and lock the government into wasteful, expensive contracts.

“This is both a national security and an economic risk. The EU is already taking action to develop digital sovereignty. The UK must do the same before it is too late.

“By voting for this amendment, MPs can take the first step to securing the UK’s resilience and control over its critical digital infrastructure.”

Victoria Collins MP said:

“The UK’s future prosperity and security depend on getting our approach to digital sovereignty right. This isn’t about shutting our doors to global technological innovation, it is about being smart, strategic, and ambitious for UK tech. Right now, too much of our critical national infrastructure and too many Government services depend on foreign technology and supply chains. This creates real risks, from national security vulnerabilities to economic fragility.

“At the same time, UK technology companies are being locked out of Government procurement in favour of large multinationals. A proper digital sovereignty strategy would change that: backing UK innovation, reducing the UK’s dependencies, and ensuring the UK is a world leader in the technologies that will define the next decade.”

Clive Lewis MP said:

“I am supporting this amendment as a first step to the UK taking control of its critical digital infrastructure and ending our over reliance on Big Tech companies that do not serve the public interest.

“This over reliance is not only a national security risk but also a waste of a critical national resource when we are locked into contracts that benefit shareholders over citizens.“