113
needed. The maintenance of these three properties requires service providers to carefully monitor access and authorisation in respect of all cloud
components and may also require linkages to or some supervisory element
of third party mechanisms, along with some ongoing verification of the
integrity of the data (Bowers et al. 2009; Schiffman et al. 2010). Effective
management of all three properties can help to increase overall trust in the
system (see below Sect. 6.3.2.1).
The integrity, confidentiality and availability of data is also an essential
component of the perception of data security from the point of the users
of cloud computing services; this perception is what is characterized as
data privacy.
Early concerns regarding privacy issues linked to storing and sharing
content online have been somewhat sidelined as the usability and convenience of such systems have proved very attractive in the marketplace
(Constantine 2012). However, notwithstanding the wider debate in relation to the moral justification of a right to privacy, the privacy debate in
the context of technological innovations is topical (Constantine 2012;
Nissenbaum 2009, 2011; Timmermans et al. 2010; van den Hoven 2008).
Privacy is ‘the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or
information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively’
(Sun et al. 2014, p. 6). In many societies, legislation and regulation require
compliance such that personally identifiable information is appropriately
managed (e.g. European Commission 2018; US Government 1986). In
turn, data privacy is concerned with the proper handling of data and issues
such as consent, notice and compliance with legislation and regulations
are dominant (The Centre for Information Policy Leadership 2018).
Service providers are thereby challenged with operating services which
afford privacy, comply with legal requirements and also balance usability
(Stark and Tierney 2014).
In relation to the cloud specifically, Whitworth and de Moor (2003)
highlighted conflicts between data privacy and usability at an earlier point.
While many of these have subsequently been addressed (Pearson et al.
2009), Stark and Tierney (2014) contend that data in the cloud is ‘still too
mobile, too “promiscuous” and too often subject to inappropriate use or
abuse’ (Stark and Tierney 2014, p. 6). They acknowledge that in today’s
technological society, user autonomy and empowerment must be maximized, but argue that the “safety” of data should not be compromised and
highlight mechanisms such as encryption which are widely used to foster
privacy within information flows. They also assert that providers must
6 ETHICS AND CLOUD COMPUTING
needed. The maintenance of these three properties requires service providers to carefully monitor access and authorisation in respect of all cloud
components and may also require linkages to or some supervisory element
of third party mechanisms, along with some ongoing verification of the
integrity of the data (Bowers et al. 2009; Schiffman et al. 2010). Effective
management of all three properties can help to increase overall trust in the
system (see below Sect. 6.3.2.1).
The integrity, confidentiality and availability of data is also an essential
component of the perception of data security from the point of the users
of cloud computing services; this perception is what is characterized as
data privacy.
Early concerns regarding privacy issues linked to storing and sharing
content online have been somewhat sidelined as the usability and convenience of such systems have proved very attractive in the marketplace
(Constantine 2012). However, notwithstanding the wider debate in relation to the moral justification of a right to privacy, the privacy debate in
the context of technological innovations is topical (Constantine 2012;
Nissenbaum 2009, 2011; Timmermans et al. 2010; van den Hoven 2008).
Privacy is ‘the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or
information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively’
(Sun et al. 2014, p. 6). In many societies, legislation and regulation require
compliance such that personally identifiable information is appropriately
managed (e.g. European Commission 2018; US Government 1986). In
turn, data privacy is concerned with the proper handling of data and issues
such as consent, notice and compliance with legislation and regulations
are dominant (The Centre for Information Policy Leadership 2018).
Service providers are thereby challenged with operating services which
afford privacy, comply with legal requirements and also balance usability
(Stark and Tierney 2014).
In relation to the cloud specifically, Whitworth and de Moor (2003)
highlighted conflicts between data privacy and usability at an earlier point.
While many of these have subsequently been addressed (Pearson et al.
2009), Stark and Tierney (2014) contend that data in the cloud is ‘still too
mobile, too “promiscuous” and too often subject to inappropriate use or
abuse’ (Stark and Tierney 2014, p. 6). They acknowledge that in today’s
technological society, user autonomy and empowerment must be maximized, but argue that the “safety” of data should not be compromised and
highlight mechanisms such as encryption which are widely used to foster
privacy within information flows. They also assert that providers must
6 ETHICS AND CLOUD COMPUTING