Google's "Cloud Computing" Issue

The controversy over the lack of privacy in the initial release of Google Buzz, a social media program, is but one in a series of privacy issues in recent years that have affected companies doing business online.

Buzz, which is embedded into the popular Gmail e-mail program, is the most recent. Buzz lets Gmail users share photos, Web links, status messages, and and photos on the Picasa photo-sharing site with fellow Google Buzz users. Two days after its Feb. 9 release, reacting to privacy concerns, Google made it easier for users to hide lists of followers and followees, and to block specific people from following a user's Buzz updates. On Feb. 13, Google also said it will now "suggest" people for users to "follow" electronically, rather than telling users to "auto-follow" those who are e-mail and chat contacts.

Among the privacy issues that have been raised in recent years with Google and other companies:

The Electronic Privacy Information has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether Google's "cloud computing" services, including the Gmail e-mail service, Google Docs and its online photo-sharing service, Picasa, is adequately protecting users' privacy.

The FTC is looking at the privacy and security issues tied to cloud computing — where documents and other data are stored on Web-based servers, in the hands of third parties, as opposed to being on a user's hard drive

Cloud computing is considered the future of data storage for many. "However, the storage of data on remote computers may also raise privacy and security concerns for consumers," wrote FTC attorney David C. Vladeck in a December letter to the commission.

"For example, the ability of cloud computing services to collect and centrally store increasing amounts of consumer data, combined with the ease with which such centrally stored data may be shared with others, create a risk that larger amounts of data may be used by entities in ways not originally intended or understood by consumers," he said.

Personal Comment: In this case, google company should revise their cloud computing services in term of collect and store of consumer data to avoid stored data shared with others. They should lower the risk of miss use of the data provided by consumers by improve the systems. PDP Act 2010, Principle 6:Security of Personal Data. All practicable steps should be taken against unauthorized or accidental access , processing or erasure, alteration, disclosure or destruction of personal data and against accidental loss.