Deutsche Telekom wants protection from US snoops

GERMAN INTERNET PROVIDER Deutsche Telekom (DT) is requesting European protection for its cloud and a certificate that prevents the US government from snooping in it.

T-Systems, the part of DT that provides its IT and services, wants to increase customer trust in its European cloud services by removing them from the baleful gaze of US government agencies.

According to Bloomberg its CEO sees this as the best way to increase trust, and business, particularly in the light of increasingly voyeuristic behaviour of US courts and intelligence agencies.

"The Americans say that no matter what happens I'll release the data to the government if I'm forced to do so, from anywhere in the world," said Deutsche Telekom CEO Reinhard Clemens.

"Certain German companies don't want others to access their systems. That's why we're well-positioned if we can say we're a European provider in a European legal sphere and no American can get to them."

Bloomberg adds that DT along with other cloud providers are looking to European regulators to support their operations and want them to create a guarantee mark that shows that firms are exempt from transatlantic enquiry.

It will also serve as a mark of a local business, and help distinguish them from services by HP, Microsoft and IBM, which could be more free with data, for example.

"A German cloud [is a] safe cloud," added Clemens. µ