UK Government accused of naivety over Google free technology deal

During a Google event in London on Wednesday, UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, announced a significant agreement between Google and the UK government. Under the agreement, Google will provide free technology, including artificial intelligence (AI) tools and cloud computing, to public sector organisations such as the NHS and local councils. The deal, which does not involve any direct payment from the government, is intended to upskill civil servants and accelerate the digitisation of public services, effectively giving Google "a foot in the door" into Whitehall.

The agreement has drawn criticism, with campaigners calling it "dangerously naive," particularly considering the precariousness of UK public data on US servers and the unpredictable nature of the current administration under President Donald Trump. 

While Google's services are acknowledged for their agility, there are fears within Whitehall about the government becoming overly dependent on a new form of reliance on major US technology companies. However, DSIT maintains that Google Cloud will help modernise public services by replacing outdated contracts vulnerable to cyberattacks. The government also states that the agreement does not grant Google permission to train AI models on government data or access it for other purposes and that any data stored overseas must be subject to stringent legal and security measures. Google said that clients can control where their data is stored and processed.