Digital rights organization Open Rights Group (ORG) has called for the UK government to rethink its reliance on US technology companies.

In a post shared to its website on January 5, ORG asked: “How, in a world of dependence on US big tech vendors, from Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, through to Palantir, can the UK government ensure the ‘security and resilience of essential activities?’”

ORG cites cases including Microsoft allegedly cutting off its services to the International Criminal Court on the orders of the Trump administration when the court’s chief prosecutor lost access to his email address, though it should be noted that Microsoft has denied “ceasing or suspending its services to the ICC.” The ICC later decided to stop using Microsoft Office for its internal work environment.

Similar accusations have been levied in India, with Nayara Energy claiming the cloud provider cut its access to services, though in this case, they said it was due to Microsoft’s interpretation of EU sanctions on Nayara, and not at the demand of President Trump. Microsoft declined to comment on this case.

ORG notes that these issues are already an “active policy concern” for European countries, such as Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark, and likens the issue to the decision to remove Chinese hardware from networks.

The group goes on to suggest that the UK’s Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill could offer an opportunity to “scrutinise the government’s approach to digital sovereignty risks.”

It recommends that the UK ensure its essential services are not subject to “switch-offs or surveillance” and the government should avoid relying on hardware, software, and digital services that may be subject to foreign interference, adding that prioritizing this would “increase the ability of UK firms, including SMEs, to bid for and maintain government systems.”

A second reading of the bill was held on January 6, 2026.

Currently, bidding for government cloud contracts is done through the G-Cloud system. DCD has previously looked into how competitive the cloud market is in the UK, and was told by local provider Hyve Managed Hosting’s director, Jake Madders, that it is “very hard to win business on there.

“You can find tenders in there, and there are ways of seeing what’s available, but it’s very difficult to compete – especially on paper. There are questions like ‘What’s your turnover?’ and when that is versus Amazon’s turnover – if they are using that as a gauge to choose you – forget it.”

In July 2025, the UK government extended its G-Cloud procurement framework by six months, increasing the existing contracts by £1.65 billion ($2.2bn) in total. It will now end in October 2026.