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Cloudways : Datenschutz, & EU Alternatives

Cloudways is subject to US law (CLOUD Act / FISA 702). GDPR-compliant use is only possible with a valid DPA, Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and a Transfer Impact Assessment (TIA). For sensitive data, an EU alternative is the more robust choice.

🇺🇸USAUS-Jurisdiktion

Last checked:

Is Cloudways GDPR compliant?

Cloudways is subject to US law (CLOUD Act / FISA 702). GDPR-compliant use is only possible with a valid DPA, Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and a Transfer Impact Assessment (TIA). For sensitive data, an EU alternative is the more robust choice.

Vendor Profile

Who is the contractual partner?

Jurisdiction
USA
Hosting
Multi-Cloud (AWS, GCP, DO, Linode, Vultr)
Owner
DigitalOcean, LLC (Cloudways)🇺🇸

Sovereignty Level: Level 0 of 4

US-Anbieter, US-Server. Voller CLOUD-Act-Zugriff. Bei jedem Schrems-Urteil fällt das Tool um.

  1. Level0
  2. Level1
  3. Level2
  4. Level3
  5. Level4

The five levels, from US-SaaS (Level 0) to fully sovereign (Level 4), we explain in detail here.

Contract & Subprocessor Chain

  1. 1.DigitalOcean, LLC (US, New York NY)
  2. 2.Cloudways (US-Tochter)

Even if the main provider is based in the EU, a US subprocessor in this chain can trigger a third-country transfer. This is the core pitfall of .

Data Categories

What data does Cloudways process?

In typical use, the following data categories arise. Which ones are relevant for you depends on your setup and scope of use.

  • All application data and logs
  • Database content (if on same infrastructure)
  • Access and audit logs

Data Subjects

Who is affected by the processing?

Under Art. 30 GDPR, you must document the categories of data subjects per processing activity. In typical use, these include:

  • All persons whose data your application processes

Concrete Impact

What does this mean in practice?

All application data and logs are stored with a US provider: the single largest compliance lever, and simultaneously the most expensive to change.

Note: This is a risk description, not a specific incident. Whether access occurred in your case depends on many factors. What can be documented: the risk must be named in your TIA and mitigated with additional measures.

meetergo Recommendation

Hosting-Jurisdiktion dokumentieren

Cloudways (DigitalOcean) ist ein US-Unternehmen. Für DSGVO-konformes Hosting empfehlen sich europäische Anbieter wie Hetzner (DE) oder IONOS (DE). Beim Wechsel Subprozessoren und DPA prüfen.

EU-Hosting evaluierenCheck your own domain

GDPR-compliant providers

EU alternatives to Cloudways

Providers based in the EU or EEA. No third-country transfer, simpler DPA situation, TIA generally not required.

Hetzner-Logo

Hetzner

🇩🇪

Server in Falkenstein und Nürnberg, hochwertig und günstig.

Switch in ~14 days

IONOS-Logo

IONOS

🇩🇪

Deutscher Hoster mit Cloud, Domain und E-Mail aus einer Hand.

Switch in ~14 days

OVHcloud-Logo

OVHcloud

🇫🇷

Französischer Cloud-Anbieter mit eigenen EU-Rechenzentren.

Switch in ~14 days

1984 Hosting-Logo

1984 Hosting

🇮🇸

Green ethical Icelandic hosting provider.

1Gbits-Logo

1Gbits

🇱🇹

Lithuanian-based VPS and dedicated server provider.

Migration Plan

How to migrate away from Cloudways

The following steps are the typical path for this tool category. Order and time required depend on your specific setup.

  1. 1

    Port IaC (Terraform / Pulumi) to European provider

  2. 2

    Migrate data via transfer service

  3. 3

    Greenfield workloads first, migration last

  4. 4

    Final cutover with DNS switch

We help with migration planning at no cost: 30 minutes with a data protection specialist to prioritise and define a migration sprint. Book appointment

Frequently Asked Questions

Cloudways & Privacy: FAQ

Is Cloudways GDPR-compliant?

Cloudways can be used in a GDPR-compliant way if a valid DPA is in place, Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) are signed, and a Transfer Impact Assessment (TIA) has been conducted. However, the provider is headquartered in the US (DigitalOcean, LLC (Cloudways)), so the CLOUD Act and FISA 702 continue to apply. This is true even when data is stored in an EU data centre. For sensitive data or strict oversight (public authorities, healthcare, large corporates), switching to an EU provider is often preferred.

Who is the contractual partner for Cloudways?

The contract chain includes: DigitalOcean, LLC (US, New York NY) · Cloudways (US-Tochter). The legal parent entity is decisive for data protection. Even if an EU subsidiary signs the DPA, a US subprocessor in the chain can trigger third-country transfer obligations.

What EU alternatives are there to Cloudways?

There are several GDPR-compliant EU alternatives. They are listed under "EU Alternatives" on this page. The selection is tailored to the feature set of Cloudways (Managed Cloud Hosting). meetergo covers the core workflow and can fully replace Cloudways in many cases.

Where is Cloudways data stored?

According to provider information: Multi-Cloud (AWS, GCP, DO, Linode, Vultr). Note: even an EU data centre does not protect against the CLOUD Act when the parent company is in the US. This is the core finding of the Schrems II decision.

What does the CLOUD Act mean for Cloudways users?

The US CLOUD Act (Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act, 2018) allows US authorities to request data from US companies regardless of the physical storage location. If DigitalOcean, LLC (Cloudways) is subject to the CLOUD Act, US law enforcement could theoretically access Cloudways data stored in Frankfurt without involving EU authorities. The EDPB Recommendations 01/2020 therefore require additional safeguards or a switch to an EU provider.

Do I need a TIA for Cloudways?

Yes, in most cases. Since Schrems II (July 2020), a Transfer Impact Assessment is mandatory for US providers when personal data is transferred. The TIA documents US law, practical risks (NSA access, subpoenas) and additional measures (encryption, pseudonymisation). Only a valid TIA makes the use of Cloudways legally defensible.

How much effort is involved in switching away from Cloudways?

Migration effort depends on your specific setup: typically between a few business days (booking, forms) and several weeks (CRM, hosting). The roadmap below shows the typical order.

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Which tools are running on your website?

60 seconds, no login: the Sovereignty Scan shows all detected vendors with jurisdiction, risk, and matching EU alternatives.

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Note

Hinweis

Risiko-Indikator, keine Rechtsberatung.

Der Sovereignty Scan wertet öffentlich erreichbare Signale aus (HTML der Startseite und Rechtsseiten, DNS-, MX-, SPF- und ASN-Daten) und vergleicht sie mit unserer Datenbank von ca. 3.000 Anbietern. Die Zuordnung von Tool zu Eigentümer und Jurisdiktion basiert auf öffentlichen Quellen (Impressum, Datenschutzerklärung, Wappalyzer, RIPE/ARIN-Registrierungen) und ist als Erstindikation zum Stichtag der Auswertung gedacht, nicht als rechtsverbindliche Bewertung.

Die Note A–E ist ein Risiko-Indikator, kein DSGVO-Konformitätsurteil. Für eine konkrete DSGVO-Bewertung, insbesondere für Auftragsverarbeitungsverträge (AVV/DPA), Standardvertragsklauseln (SCC) und Transfer Impact Assessments (TIA), wenden Sie sich bitte an Ihren Datenschutzbeauftragten oder eine externe Rechtsberatung. meetergo trifft keine Aussage darüber, ob ein konkreter Anbieter in einem konkreten Anwendungsfall DSGVO-konform eingesetzt werden kann.

Korrektur & Stellungnahme: Wenn Sie Domain-Inhaber, Datenschutzbeauftragter oder Pressestelle der bewerteten Domain sind und die hier gezeigten Signale nicht Ihrer aktuellen Tool-Konfiguration entsprechen, nehmen wir Korrekturen auf und passen die Anzeige nach Prüfung umgehend an.

Methodik & GrenzenListing korrigieren / Stellungnahme einreichen