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tools, highly correlated with the ethics of algorithms (Mittelstadt et al.
2016). The analysis conducted in this growing—but still very young—
field can be applied, mutatis mutandis, to the ethics of data in cloud computing. However, the contributions examined in this section make use of
a more legalistic framework, strongly influenced by abundant studies in
relation to data ownership, and data safety and privacy. As a result, this
section offers an overview of these areas related to the ethics of data in
cloud computing, which, in the future, will need to incorporate more
explicit ethical considerations.
6.3.1.1 Data Ownership
When an individual or a business uses a cloud computing-based platform,
it may be asked “who owns the data”? Can this data be considered as private property, or does the mere fact of using a cloud computing platform
mean that this data automatically may belong to another party?
The majority of individual and corporate consumers outsource data
storage to cloud services, whereby users can use the flexibility and scalability of the cloud without purchasing standalone software or hardware.
These are owned and maintained by various service providers whose overall remit is to store and share the data of a multitude of users. However,
these service providers do not provide a uniform service. Further, cloud
computing services typically traverse national borders, operating in a
global context. This global and international cloud computing environment presents difficulties for regulating in such a context. In practice,
national laws and regulations may not always align seamlessly into the
international domain. As a result, it is becoming apparent that current
legal provisions, which are largely pertinent to national jurisdictions, may
not appropriately regulate for the cloud (Bartolini et al. 2018). As a consequence, the relevance of ethics is increasingly debated in relation to a
potentially essential role regarding the ‘outsourced’ and international
exchange of data in the cloud.
Indeed, the ownership of data and the respect of the right of this particular kind of property is essentially linked with the respect of the fundamental dignity of the human person. The European Data Protection
Supervisor (EDPS), an independent institution of the European Union,
clearly affirms that human dignity is at the heart of digital ethics: ‘the dignity of the human person is not only a fundamental right in itself but also
is a foundation for subsequent freedoms and rights, including the rights to
privacy and to the protection of personal data’ (European Data Protection
B. MURPHY AND M. ROCCHI
tools, highly correlated with the ethics of algorithms (Mittelstadt et al.
2016). The analysis conducted in this growing—but still very young—
field can be applied, mutatis mutandis, to the ethics of data in cloud computing. However, the contributions examined in this section make use of
a more legalistic framework, strongly influenced by abundant studies in
relation to data ownership, and data safety and privacy. As a result, this
section offers an overview of these areas related to the ethics of data in
cloud computing, which, in the future, will need to incorporate more
explicit ethical considerations.
6.3.1.1 Data Ownership
When an individual or a business uses a cloud computing-based platform,
it may be asked “who owns the data”? Can this data be considered as private property, or does the mere fact of using a cloud computing platform
mean that this data automatically may belong to another party?
The majority of individual and corporate consumers outsource data
storage to cloud services, whereby users can use the flexibility and scalability of the cloud without purchasing standalone software or hardware.
These are owned and maintained by various service providers whose overall remit is to store and share the data of a multitude of users. However,
these service providers do not provide a uniform service. Further, cloud
computing services typically traverse national borders, operating in a
global context. This global and international cloud computing environment presents difficulties for regulating in such a context. In practice,
national laws and regulations may not always align seamlessly into the
international domain. As a result, it is becoming apparent that current
legal provisions, which are largely pertinent to national jurisdictions, may
not appropriately regulate for the cloud (Bartolini et al. 2018). As a consequence, the relevance of ethics is increasingly debated in relation to a
potentially essential role regarding the ‘outsourced’ and international
exchange of data in the cloud.
Indeed, the ownership of data and the respect of the right of this particular kind of property is essentially linked with the respect of the fundamental dignity of the human person. The European Data Protection
Supervisor (EDPS), an independent institution of the European Union,
clearly affirms that human dignity is at the heart of digital ethics: ‘the dignity of the human person is not only a fundamental right in itself but also
is a foundation for subsequent freedoms and rights, including the rights to
privacy and to the protection of personal data’ (European Data Protection
B. MURPHY AND M. ROCCHI