# Ethical & Societal Issues: Outsourcing Background Checks in the United Kingdom

$*$Background:$*$

Child abuse remains a significant issue in the United Kingdom. Statistics indicate that one in five children has faced some form of severe abuse or neglect. In response to these concerns, the Protection of Freedoms Act was passed in $2011,$ leading to the creation of the Disclosure and Barring Service $($DBS$)$ by merging the Criminal Records Bureau and the Independent Safeguarding Authority. The DBS is tasked with conducting efficient background checks for organizations and private companies that work with vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly.

In $2012,$ the U$.$K$.$ Home Office contracted Tata Consultancy Services $($TCS$)$ from India to implement electronic background checks, aiming to improve decision$-$making and reduce processing times. This move was part of a broader trend of the U$.$K$.$ government outsourcing IT services to foreign companies, a trend that includes a significant contract with TCS for the National Employment and Savings Trust $($NEST$).$

$*$Cloud Computing Concerns:$*$

Despite the outsourcing trend, there are concerns regarding the security implications of using cloud services. Public servants in the U$.$K$.$ worry about privacy and data security, especially since many cloud service providers are based in the U$.$S$.,$ where legal standards allow government and law enforcement more access to digital data than in Europe. However, companies like Skyscape Cloud Services promise that client data will remain within the U$.$K$.,$ which partially alleviates these concerns.