Sealand News

Could global search engine giant Google be preparing to invest in the Principality of Sealand? Recent developments suggest Google is moving away from the land-based server farms and investigating the potential of floating data centres and satellite networking, and they are rumoured to be considering Sealand as a potential site.

In 2007 infamous Swedish file sharing web site The Pirate Bay was in negotiations with Prince Michael of Sealand about purchasing the principality to use it as a base for its own operation, running servers from the nation that would be outside the jurisdiction of any government. Unfortunately they were unable to raise the necessary funds and the deal later fell through.

Google’s data warehouses are famous in the IT industry for being some of the largest in the world. They are a closely kept secret, but it’s estimated that Google has over 450,000 servers worldwide as huge clusters in major cities, serving the billions of search queries, emails and other services.

But a patent submitted by Google reveals plans for a ‘floating data centre’ which would use wave motion to drive its computers, with cooling provided by the water. The plan sketched out by Google’s engineers calls for a self-sustaining data store sitting offshore, potentially in international waters where it would not be affected by the copyright and privacy rules of any country, mirroring Sealand’s ventures into offshore data storage.

This comes at a time when Google is looking at expanding into some unusual new areas. It has already launched a mapping satellite to gather imagery for Google Maps, but the company has also invested in a satellite operator which is aiming to bring internet access to countries that lack a reliable wired network, and an outfit which is using a network of balloons fitted with wireless gear.

The speculation is that Google is aiming to build a global network of data farms and wireless internet that is outside the control of governments. Situated in international waters they would not be restricted by the laws of any nation, resulting in increased privacy and greater freedom for users, something with which Sealand is very familiar. Rumours suggest that Google CEO Eric Schmidt is in talks with senior figures at HavenCo and Sealand about purchasing both HavenCo and the Sealand fort itself to create the world’s first offshore floating data centre.

In 2000 HavenCo Ltd was established as a ‘data haven’. Operating from Sealand, HavenCo is run like a tax haven, but instead of holding money it offers safe, secure storage of almost any data, with only a few restrictions. Sealand is currently still for sale, and being an independent nation with previous experience in secure data storage it would form the perfect base for Google’s first sea-borne data centre.