UK Government Sites Hosted In California

An IT professional takes the British government to task for the fact that many of its sites are hosted in the US, rather than at home.

Mark Furber, head of search engine optimization company NetCallidus, is angry at the British government. It turns out that the sites for several of its agencies, including the Pension Service and JobCentre Plus, which helps people find jobs in Britain, are hosted in California.

At a time when the UK economy is teetering on the edge of a recession, this is an out and out insult," he said. “There is no good reason why this work should be given to another country. It might save a few pounds, but sends the wrong message about how much the government cares about British business."

There was no government comment as Furber also pointed out the security and management issues involved in foreign hosting.