With high hopes for the cloud computing industry, the rest of the world is watching as this relatively new technology continues to grow and work out the "kinks" it may still have. One major problem that the cloud computing industry continues to have are legal issues.In one specific article I came across, it talked about a large supporter of cloud computing which is the U.S Department of Education, who seem to be overlooking a few things when it comes to the privacy agreements they keep with students. All in all the article points out a few key points that are huge legal issues when relying on cloud technology to store your data
1. "All data that interacts with the internet is shared, which means it can be accessed by anyone"
2.This holds major concerns when it comes to the Department of Education, who under legal obligation, have to protect a students rights in regards to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, HIPAA, and COPPA.
3."For schools considering these legal elements of these contracts, its important that these documents specify that the private cloud company has no ownership interest in the intellectual property contained in the uploaded information" Especially if the schools are using third party vendors to host their uploaded data.
There are lots of legal concerns regarding information held on cloud technology with data from students that could potentially violate one of the three Acts I have listed above.Hopefully within the next few years cloud computing companies and the legal systems will work together to create a safe alternative for the Education System to be able to use cloud computing in order to store their data.
Sources: Bathon, Justin. "THE Journal." The Major Cloud Computing Problems You're Not Paying Attention To --. The Journal, 08 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013
Image: Morrison, Nick. "Technology in Schools: Saving Money with Cloud, Open Source and Consortia." The Guardian. The Guardian, 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
Cloud
computing represents a fundamental change to the underlying concept of
data in education, and thus presents many substantial risks and legal
concerns. Obtaining the vast scope of benefits offered by cloud
computing, though, requires us to make these difficult transitions. In
the near term, contracts with cloud providers are the only substantial
mechanism by which educators can resolve these legal concerns. By
working together over the next few years, the educational community can
build a more robust legal infrastructure for cloud computing in schools.
Read more at http://thejournal.com/Articles/2013/10/01/The-Major-Cloud-Computing-Problems-Youre-Not-Paying-Attention-To.aspx?Page=3#9i1FDZClIxDHbLZC.99
Read more at http://thejournal.com/Articles/2013/10/01/The-Major-Cloud-Computing-Problems-Youre-Not-Paying-Attention-To.aspx?Page=3#9i1FDZClIxDHbLZC.99
Do you think that increasing usage of cloud computing will change the way we treat the ownership of intellectual data? It looks to me like we will start considering more and more intellectual property as public information, but companies will be finding more creative ways to make money using it.
ReplyDeleteI honestly hated that I had to use the cloud for storage on my Iphone because I'm not used to storing my private pictures, music, calendar, and everything else you can store online. It makes me extremely uncomfortable to know that anyone can view my information, which is so scary! I can't believe that with all the laws of HIPPA that more hasn't been done to relieve students of the constant worry that their private information can be found by anyone online.
ReplyDeleteI am curious if there is any government agency that oversees these cloud storage facilities. It really seems like there should be some kind of annual audit to assess the security of these systems. I am sure though it would be almost impossible to show who had accessed the data with permission. Scary stuff.
ReplyDeleteTara- I completely agree with you that cloud computing storage can make many individuals feel uncomfortable about storing data in the cloud. However, it is illegal for people to be able to access medical information from universities, which is why HIPPA was created. These cloud computing companies will be sued if they do not keep your information private.
ReplyDeleteCaleb- With the increase of cloud computing technology I suspect the ever changing rules on intellectual property may change with the use of this technology. It is unfortunate and a lot of companies have capitalized on it.
ReplyDeleteCloud computing brings up interesting issues with ownership of data. Unfortunately, the convenience of cloud computing lets others see our information. I think a lot of people including myself are afraid to use services like Google Docs because of others being able to view things. But ultimately, people forget these issues aren't really specific to cloud computing. People can steal information on your computer and even break into your house and steal physical docs. Is cloud computing really that much more risky than that?
ReplyDelete