Who Owns Your Cloud?

With the new phenomenon of cloud computing coming to the surface recently, many people, lawyers included have become concerned with the privacy aspect of this new technology. In the article

Intro to Cloud Computing and Its Ethical Implications --Is There a Silver Lining - Part I of II found on http://www.criminallawlibraryblog.com/2010/04/intro_to_cloud_computing_and_i.html

it opens up our minds into the problems we could encounter with cloud computing and also individual thoughts and feelings about cloud type software.

The main focus of the article is an overview of what cloud computing is and why it has become so popular, and also why lawyers need to be up to date with cloud computing because of the privacy issues that may come up with clients.

The article brings up many ethical and privacy related issues which poses questions and thoughts in my mind about cloud computing.

Firstly is cloud computing safe?

It is easy to see why cloud computing can be successful and positive, but you only have to look at facebook and twitter to see why it can also have a negative effect. Whatever you post on these pages are no longer private. People can find out so much about a person they have never met by a google search for their facebook, or twitter page. This to me is a scary thought. You only have to watch ESPN nightly to see reporters posting twitter comments from pro athletes about anything and everything. To me this is crazy. Yes I do have a facebook and twitter account, but I never really considered the problems that could give me if I were in a working business that requires privacy. 

For example I will shut down my facebook and twitter once I become a teacher. Why? because what private life and my work life should be separate especially when dealing with teenagers all day everyday. 

On the flipside their should also be personal responsibility on the person who posts anything on cloud computing web sites. If you are worried about what you have on the site, delete it. 

So in conclusion even though cloud computing is a very smart idea and could be very helpful in the right situation the ethical issues that could come to the surface with the cloud need to be monitored and taken seriously.