Fastmail offers EU data region
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Fastmail now offers a European Union data storage region for customer email and files.
Fastmail added an EU data region with servers hosted on its own hardware in Amsterdam, complementing existing US sites in Philadelphia and St Louis. Users can choose between US and EU primary storage; Fastmail pre-selected those with European billing addresses for EU region. The primary data copy resides in the chosen region with a replica in the other. Fastmail emphasizes it does not rent cloud services, uses own hardware, and encrypts data at rest. However, it states it cannot guarantee data remains only in the EU, as replicas and emergency backups are in the US, and some metadata replicates globally. The company is Australian and subject to Australian law and legal-cooperation treaties.
What commenters are saying
Commenters see this as a positive first step but highlight key caveats: data still has US replicas and backups, full EU-only storage requires a second EU data center. Several point out Fastmail's Australian base (Five Eyes) means data could be subject to disclosure orders under Australian law and intelligence-sharing agreements. One commenter notes the CLOUD Act allows US authorities to compel US-based companies to hand over data regardless of server location. Another appreciates Fastmail's transparency about limitations but argues customers seeking true guarantees won't be satisfied. A camp split emerges between those who view the EU region as a meaningful improvement and those who see it as insufficient for strict compliance or privacy needs.