Built in Britain. Hosted in Britain. Supported from Britain.
Your business website, backed by a company that answers to UK law—not Silicon Valley.
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Why It Matters
Most website builders are American companies. Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy—they're all based in the United States. On the surface, this might seem irrelevant. After all, the internet has no borders, right?
But here's the thing: company jurisdiction matters. It determines which country's laws the company must follow, which government has oversight, and which courts you'd need to use if something went wrong.
The US CLOUD Act (2018)
If your website is built on a US platform, US authorities can legally access your data—even though you're a UK business and your customers are in the UK. The Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act (CLOUD Act) allows US law enforcement to compel US companies to hand over data stored anywhere in the world, regardless of local data protection laws.
Citation: 18 U.S.C. § 2713 (Stored Communications Act, as amended by the CLOUD Act 2018)
As a UK-registered company hosting your data in the UK, Site Seedling is not subject to the US CLOUD Act. We answer to UK law, UK regulators, and UK courts.
The Current Landscape
In September 2025, the UK and US signed the Tech Prosperity Deal, aimed at strengthening digital trade and data flows between the two countries. Just three months later, in December 2025, the agreement was suspended amid broader trade tensions.
What's Happening in the UK:
- US-UK Tech Prosperity Deal suspended (December 2025)
- Growing uncertainty in US-UK tech relations
- Ongoing tariff disputes affecting digital services
- UK Digital Services Tax tensions with US tech giants
What's Happening in the EU:
It's not just the UK. The European Union is actively moving to reduce its dependency on US tech companies, and the direction of travel is clear:
- Berlin Declaration on Digital Sovereignty (November 2025) — all EU member states signed a commitment to reduce dependency on non-European digital providers
- Cloud Sovereignty Framework (October 2025) — the EU published a scoring system (SEAL levels) that penalises providers subject to non-EU legal jurisdictions like the US CLOUD Act
- €180 million sovereign cloud tender (October 2025) — the European Commission launched procurement requiring providers to meet sovereignty standards, structurally favouring European companies
- EU-US Data Privacy Framework at risk — in January 2025, all Democratic members of the US Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) were removed, threatening the legal basis for EU-to-US data transfers
- Cloud and AI Development Act (expected 2026) — new EU legislation to bolster European cloud capacity and reduce reliance on US hyperscalers who currently control 65% of the European cloud market
An estimated 90% of Europe's digital infrastructure is controlled by non-European companies. The EU is actively legislating to change this.
We're not saying the sky is falling. We're saying that the direction of travel — in both the UK and the EU — is towards digital sovereignty. Choosing a British provider now means you're already ahead of the curve.
What This Means For You
Your customers' contact enquiries, your project photos, your business details—all stored on UK servers, governed by UK data protection law. No foreign jurisdiction complications. No unclear legal exposure. Just straightforward UK business practices.
Your Data Stays British
When you use Site Seedling, your business data is stored in UK datacentres, backed up to UK locations, and managed by a UK company. The only time your data leaves the UK is if you choose to export it.
The Site Seedling Difference
UK Registered Company
Registered with Companies House, paying UK corporation tax, answerable to UK law.
UK-Hosted Servers
All website data stored in UK datacentres, backed up to UK locations only.
UK-Based Support
Same timezone, same business culture, same legal framework. Real people in the UK.
UK GDPR Compliant
Designed from the ground up to meet UK data protection standards.
Supporting UK Tech
Your subscription supports the UK tech economy, not Silicon Valley shareholders.
Complete Transparency
We're honest about what we use and why. No hidden offshore entities or complex corporate structures.
How We Compare
| Feature | Site Seedling | Typical US Builder |
|---|---|---|
| Company Jurisdiction |
United Kingdom
|
United States |
| Server Location |
UK Datacentres
|
Global (primarily US) |
| Data Protection Law |
UK GDPR
|
US Privacy Laws (varies by state) |
| Support Timezone |
GMT/BST (same as you)
|
US Timezones (8+ hours behind) |
| US CLOUD Act Exposure |
Not Applicable
|
Full Exposure
|
| Currency |
British Pounds (£)
|
US Dollars ($) - exchange rate risk |
| Tax Contribution |
UK Treasury
|
US Treasury (via complex structures) |
We Believe in Honesty
Here's what's UK and what isn't:
UK-Based
- • Company registration (Companies House)
- • Web hosting (UK datacentres)
- • Customer support team
- • Data storage and backups
- • Billing and invoicing
- • Development and operations
US Services Used
We use two US-based services for technical reasons:
-
•
Cloudflare (CDN): Acts as a proxy layer for faster page loads and DDoS protection. Doesn't store your business data—just caches public pages.
-
•
Stripe (Payments): Payment processor with UK/EU data residency agreements. We're actively exploring UK alternatives like GoCardless.
Neither service stores your core business data (services, team members, case studies, contact enquiries).
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