Cloud Hosting Providers

Last Updated 6/4/25

Definition: Companies that provide internet infrastructure services including web hosting, data storage, and computing resources that power websites, applications, and digital platforms.

Mitigation Strategies:

Know your customer (KYC) Transparent feedback and reporting Prioritized reporting

Synonyms

Web hosting service, Infrastructure provider, Cloud service provider

Examples

Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, DigitalOcean, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure

Description

These providers serve as the backbone infrastructure for websites and applications where TFGBV content may be hosted or distributed. They have significant power to disrupt harmful ecosystems by refusing service to bad actors, but enforcement can be inconsistent.

The research shows that harmful content often persists across multiple hosting providers - for example, the most popular website dedicated to sexualized deepfakes receives about 17 million hits per month (Humane Intelligence, 2025). Cross-border jurisdictional challenges are amplified when content is stored on servers in different countries, making coordinated takedown efforts more complex.

References

Humane Intelligence. (2025). Digital violence, real world harm: Evaluating survivor-centric tools for intimate image abuse in the age of gen AI.

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