Book review
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-07-2022-397 |
| Published date | 10 June 2022 |
| Date | 10 June 2022 |
| Pages | 745-746 |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information management |
| Author | Kai Cheng |
Book review
Data Privacy and Trust in Cloud Computing
Theo Lynn, John G. Mooney, Lisa van der Werff, Grace Fox
Palgrave Macmillan
Cham
2021
170 pp
$57.44 (hardback)
ISBN 9783030546595
Doubtless, the recent technological breakthrough in digital technologies, adjoined to the
globalization process has generated significant changes in our daily life. Of course, cloud
computing not only seems to be a result of this process but also poses new opportunities and
challenges for society. From this premisestarts the present book (edited by Theo Lynn, John
Mooney, Lisa Van der Wer ff and Grace Fox) which entitles “Da ta Privacy and Trust in Cloud
Computing”. The main goal (and scope) of this collection is associatedw iththe importance to
understand the effects of cloud computing in society as well as the new legal issues in
private life. The disciplinary background is inserted in the fields of digital and enabling
technologies. As editors put it, while different governments have devoted considerable
efforts to offering innovative ways to fix the legal loophole in security and privacy-aware
issues. To some extent, t heir intervention affe cted seriously the comp etitiveness of
businesses and the access to private data. Needless to say, that cloud computing has
experienced rapid growth in recent years leading scholars and practitioners to a hot debate.
In this way, the book gathers seven well-written chapters authored by scholars coming from
different disciplines and cultural backgrounds. Although these chapters can be read
separately, they sha re a common-thread argumentation. On e of the major challenges in the
adoption of cloud compu ting, in the developed an d developing economi es, rests on
limitations in the nation-state to regulate successfully this borderless technology without
affecting its original function. Here lies the p hilosophical quandar y that arose from cloud
computing; while security-led protocols make the flow of informationsafer, no less true they
thwart a dynamic competition among firms. Having said this, it is important to add that the
recent COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of these technologies as never before.
As the previous backdrop, the first introductory chapter addresses the specialized
literature on digital technologies and trust. Cloud computing keeps some intricacies in the
handling of secure information. This point suggests some barriers, which are often imposed
by institutions, and the chapter helps overcome them. With more than 3.6 billion Internet
users worldwide, who operate with cloud computing, only a small portion is familiar with
the standardized clickwrap contracts ultimately signed. In consonance with this, the second
chapter deals with th e literature on control and trust while discussing how the evolution of
cloud computing is compatible with surveillance technology and legal regulation. As a
dominant paradigm, cloud computing interrogates not only our conceptualization of trust
but also new emerging issues in contract law. To avoid repetitions, the chapter continues
the discussion left in the first chapter. The third chapter exami nes how cloud compu ting
regulations vary in culture and jurisdiction across the globe. Authors draw an interesting
comparison between the USA and Europe arguing convincingly that in Europe, data
protection is a protected right properly legalized by the different states. Rather, in the
USA, data privacy seems to be unprotected by constitutional rights. The fourth chapter
Book review
745
Aslib Journal of Information
Management
Vol. 74 No. 4, 2022
pp. 745-746
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2050-3806
DOI 10.1108/AJIM-07-2022-397
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