Data Protection in the Clouds

This chapter brings a legal perspective to bear on the topic of data protection on the contemporary Internet in which personal information is increasingly stored and processed in, and accessed from, “the cloud.” The reliance of ever more apps, websites, and services on cloud providers contrasts with earlier days of the Internet in which much more data was stored locally on personal computers. At a time when there is ever more use of cloud computing, this chapter illuminates the complexities over what information in cloud computing environments is protected as personal data, and who is responsible. Will data protection laws, such as those in the EU, protect us, or are there alternative approaches to providing effective protection for personal data in clouds? This chapter airs the question of whether a greater focus should be placed on localizing personal data, as advocated by the Internet pioneer, Tim Berners-Lee.