The end of September has seen the UK Information Commissioner's Office release its guidance on cloud computing, shortly followed by the European Commission's announcement on a new strategy for
The end of September has seen the UK Information Commissioner's Office release its guidance on cloud computing, shortly followed by the European Commission's announcement on a new strategy for "Unleashing the potential of cloud computing in Europe".
ICO
The ICO's new guidance starts with a helpful 'setting the scene' introduction for those new to the topic of cloud computing by going through definitions, different deployment and service models before moving on to an analysis of the data protection obligations.
According to the ICO, based on the fact of determining the purposes and the manner in which any personal data may be processed, the cloud customer is most likely to be the data controller. The guidance does contain a caveat that each case of outsourcing to the cloud and the controller/processor roles of each party will need to be determined separately. The end of the document has a useful checklist of considerations.
The guidance sets out a logical approach that should be followed by potential customers of cloud computing services and which comprises the following steps:
With regard to selecting a cloud provider the ICO points potential cloud users to the need to look at the security offered, how the data will be protected and the access controls that have been put in place. Helpfully for data controllers, the ICO recognises that it is not always possible to carry out physical audits of the cloud provider but highlights the importance of ensuring that appropriate technical and organisational security measures are maintained at all times.
On the data transfers front the ICO states that cloud customers should ask potential cloud providers for a list of countries where data is likely to be processed and for information relating to the safeguards in place there. It is unfortunate that in this aspect the ICO follows the recent Article 29 Working Party Opinion on Cloud Computing.
EU
Turning to the European Commission's announcement of a new strategy for "Unleashing the potential of cloud computing in Europe", the main aim of the strategy is to support the take-up of cloud computing services through creating new homogenised technical standards on interoperability, data portability and reversibility by 2013; as well as certification schemes for cloud providers. A key area where, according to the strategy document, the Commission will concentrate its work on will be safe and fair contract terms and conditions for cloud computing services. This will involve developing model terms for service level agreements. The strategy stresses the importance of the ongoing work on the proposed Data Protection Regulation and the expectation that this work should be completed in 2013.
The new strategy when coupled with the recent Article 29 Working Party Opinion shows clear signs that cloud computing is fast gaining prominence on the European Commission's Digital Agenda. At this stage it is important to track the developments in this area and for industry members to continue providing their feedback to proposals. The ICO's guidance proves that a pragmatic approach to cloud computing is achievable without minimising the protection afforded to individuals' personal data.
In short, the key takeaways from these developments are that in addition to contributing to the development of model contract terms, customers of cloud computing services must look at the selection process and the contractual documentation as their top priorities when approaching a cloud service relationship.
ICO
The ICO's new guidance starts with a helpful 'setting the scene' introduction for those new to the topic of cloud computing by going through definitions, different deployment and service models before moving on to an analysis of the data protection obligations.
According to the ICO, based on the fact of determining the purposes and the manner in which any personal data may be processed, the cloud customer is most likely to be the data controller. The guidance does contain a caveat that each case of outsourcing to the cloud and the controller/processor roles of each party will need to be determined separately. The end of the document has a useful checklist of considerations.
The guidance sets out a logical approach that should be followed by potential customers of cloud computing services and which comprises the following steps:
- Data selection - selecting which data to move to the cloud and creating a record of which categories of data you are planning to move.
- Risk assessment – carrying out privacy impact assessments is recommended for large and complex personal data processing operations in the cloud.
- The type of service and provider selection– taking into account the maturity of the service offered and whether it targets a specific market.
- Monitoring performance – ongoing obligation throughout the time the outsourcing to the cloud takes place.
- Informing cloud users – this reflects the transparency principle; cloud customers who are data controllers (who make services that run on the cloud available to individuals) will need to consider informing the individuals/cloud end users of the service about the processing in the cloud.
- Written contract – it is a legal requirement under the Data Protection Act to have a written contract in place between a data controller and a data processor.
With regard to selecting a cloud provider the ICO points potential cloud users to the need to look at the security offered, how the data will be protected and the access controls that have been put in place. Helpfully for data controllers, the ICO recognises that it is not always possible to carry out physical audits of the cloud provider but highlights the importance of ensuring that appropriate technical and organisational security measures are maintained at all times.
On the data transfers front the ICO states that cloud customers should ask potential cloud providers for a list of countries where data is likely to be processed and for information relating to the safeguards in place there. It is unfortunate that in this aspect the ICO follows the recent Article 29 Working Party Opinion on Cloud Computing.
EU
Turning to the European Commission's announcement of a new strategy for "Unleashing the potential of cloud computing in Europe", the main aim of the strategy is to support the take-up of cloud computing services through creating new homogenised technical standards on interoperability, data portability and reversibility by 2013; as well as certification schemes for cloud providers. A key area where, according to the strategy document, the Commission will concentrate its work on will be safe and fair contract terms and conditions for cloud computing services. This will involve developing model terms for service level agreements. The strategy stresses the importance of the ongoing work on the proposed Data Protection Regulation and the expectation that this work should be completed in 2013.
The new strategy when coupled with the recent Article 29 Working Party Opinion shows clear signs that cloud computing is fast gaining prominence on the European Commission's Digital Agenda. At this stage it is important to track the developments in this area and for industry members to continue providing their feedback to proposals. The ICO's guidance proves that a pragmatic approach to cloud computing is achievable without minimising the protection afforded to individuals' personal data.
In short, the key takeaways from these developments are that in addition to contributing to the development of model contract terms, customers of cloud computing services must look at the selection process and the contractual documentation as their top priorities when approaching a cloud service relationship.