Buying Ethical Web Hosting
There are a few obvious considerations when choosing a Web hosting provider – features and function, as well as price. But not every Web hosting product makes it possible for businesses to exercise their own standards of ethical conduct in making a purchasing decision. An ethical Web hosting solution is a prominent consideration for many businesses, though there is little official consensus on what exactly constitutes an ethical Web host or an ethical Web hosting solution.
For some, that distinction might best describe a Web host’s attention to environmental issues. The ecological issue has become a major ethical concern, and a major marketing tactic, in Web hosting in recent months. Perhaps the best measure of an ethical Web host, the assurance of an environmentally friendly hosting service can refer to any of a variety of operational tactics. Hosts can use solar- or wind-generated energy to power their facilities; use newer-model, more energy-efficient server equipment; installing a “green roof” - a layer of dirt and vegetation that can reduce cooling and heating requirements; or even by buying credits to offset the carbon production caused by regular energy consumption.
Ethically speaking, the environmental consciousness of a host can be a point of contention. Some feel that terms like “carbon neutral” ought not be used to describe a hosting provider that buys carbon credits, or supports tree-planting efforts, to offset its carbon production. While tree planting is certainly a positive step, a true “green host,” according to some, is a provider that takes care to power its facilities entirely from renewable sources.
Through the prism of environmental issues, that debate raises the matter of truth in advertising, an important point in any discussion of ethical Web hosting. Some hosts claim to operate facilities they do not, or offer more resources than they are technically capable of providing. This is a gray area in hosting, a business that involves a great deal of private-label distribution of services. But there are certain obvious ethical lines that some Web hosts choose to cross.
Another measure of a Web host’s ethics is its attention to the content on its servers. Some Web hosts are active in policing the content published to their servers, making sure nothing illegal is being distributed. Some even avoid hosting legal content they find objectionable (such as adult content). Others do a less-than-adequate job of making sure their machines are clean. And some hosts are known for turning a blind eye to illegal or objectionable content.
Finding an ethical Web host can be a difficult undertaking, but ultimately, a hosting company cannot escape its reputation. And a little bit of digging on your part should provide a good sense of that reputation.
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