60
Keywords Information privacy • Data privacy • Data protection •
Cloud computing • Privacy perceptions • Cloud privacy • Cloud
security
4.1
IntroductIon
The cloud offers many advantages to organisations including greater efficiency and reduced data storage costs. The market for cloud computing is
forecast to continue growth in 2020 with Gartner predicting a 17%
increase to US$266.4 billion including an increase in the value of cloud
management and security services from US$12 billion to US$13.8 billion
(Gartner 2019). Today, we see cloud applications in all industries, at the
consumer application level to city-wide infrastructures. However, the
increasing ubiquity of cloud computing also represents new risks, not least
information security and privacy vulnerabilities. Indeed, we have seen an
alarming number of high-profile cloud data breaches including the largest
cloud service providers. Most recently, the open Google database exposed
the personal details of 200 million people (Forbes 2020). While the cloud
itself is arguably more secure than physical infrastructures, human error is
often the cause of these incidents. For instance, misconfiguration of cloud
databases has resulted in an estimated 196 breaches from 2018–2019,
leaving 33 billion records at risk, and costing organisations an estimated
US$5 trillion over the two year period (DivvyCloud 2020). A single
breach incident can be hugely costly to organisations. For example,
Marriott could potentially be fined up to US$123 million in Europe alone
for its recent cloud breach, which left the details of 5.2 million people at
risk (Whittaker 2020). In addition to monetary costs, it is important to
consider other implications for organisations involved in such breaches
such as consumer perceptions of privacy and trust in the organisation itself.
This chapter focuses on exploring how organisations can avail of the
advantages offered by the cloud, while preserving consumer privacy and
addressing any privacy concerns consumers may have. The chapter proceeds with an outline of the importance of privacy and security in the
cloud computing context. Next, the extant literature related to privacy in
this domain and the broader Information Systems (IS) field are discussed.
Potential solutions for enhancing privacy perceptions in the cloud and
directions to empirically explore these solutions are outlined in the final
sections of the chapter.
G. FOX
Keywords Information privacy • Data privacy • Data protection •
Cloud computing • Privacy perceptions • Cloud privacy • Cloud
security
4.1
IntroductIon
The cloud offers many advantages to organisations including greater efficiency and reduced data storage costs. The market for cloud computing is
forecast to continue growth in 2020 with Gartner predicting a 17%
increase to US$266.4 billion including an increase in the value of cloud
management and security services from US$12 billion to US$13.8 billion
(Gartner 2019). Today, we see cloud applications in all industries, at the
consumer application level to city-wide infrastructures. However, the
increasing ubiquity of cloud computing also represents new risks, not least
information security and privacy vulnerabilities. Indeed, we have seen an
alarming number of high-profile cloud data breaches including the largest
cloud service providers. Most recently, the open Google database exposed
the personal details of 200 million people (Forbes 2020). While the cloud
itself is arguably more secure than physical infrastructures, human error is
often the cause of these incidents. For instance, misconfiguration of cloud
databases has resulted in an estimated 196 breaches from 2018–2019,
leaving 33 billion records at risk, and costing organisations an estimated
US$5 trillion over the two year period (DivvyCloud 2020). A single
breach incident can be hugely costly to organisations. For example,
Marriott could potentially be fined up to US$123 million in Europe alone
for its recent cloud breach, which left the details of 5.2 million people at
risk (Whittaker 2020). In addition to monetary costs, it is important to
consider other implications for organisations involved in such breaches
such as consumer perceptions of privacy and trust in the organisation itself.
This chapter focuses on exploring how organisations can avail of the
advantages offered by the cloud, while preserving consumer privacy and
addressing any privacy concerns consumers may have. The chapter proceeds with an outline of the importance of privacy and security in the
cloud computing context. Next, the extant literature related to privacy in
this domain and the broader Information Systems (IS) field are discussed.
Potential solutions for enhancing privacy perceptions in the cloud and
directions to empirically explore these solutions are outlined in the final
sections of the chapter.
G. FOX