Cloud computing? You still can’t dodge data protection rules

Grazed from ZDNet. Author: Steve Ranger.

Companies are forgetting about their data protection responsibilities when they shift data into the cloud, according to the UK’s privacy watchdog. As cloud computing slowly moves into the mainstream, more and more personal data is being moved out of companies’ own datacentres and into the cloud, which means the data could potentially reside on servers anywhere on the planet.

But the UK has strict rules around how data can be processed, and UK data protection watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is concerned that many businesses do not realise they remain responsible for how the data is looked after, even after handing it over to a cloud provider. ICO technology policy advisor Dr Simon Rice said the law on outsourcing data is very clear…

"As a business, you are responsible for keeping your data safe. You can outsource some of the processing of that data, as happens with cloud computing, but how that data is used and protected remains your responsibility," he said in an ICO statement on Thursday…

Read more from the source @ http://www.zdnet.com/uk/cloud-computing-you-still-cant-dodge-data-protection-rules-7000004894/