ACMA mulls cloud regulation Dropping into the cloud privacy and security debate without even the slightest clang of irony, the Australian Communications and Media Authority has listed security, privacy and access to data as issues that might need regulation in the Australian environment. It's discussion paper, The cloud – services, computing and digital …
"While it states that many major providers – including IBM, Rackspace, Dell, Hewlett Packard and Amazon – have moved to locate their servers in Australia"
Did they also note that these are all American companies and therefore obliged by the Patriot act to provide any data requested to the US govt without telling you ? Not that it matters. The Australian govt will cheerfully shop it's citizen's data to the US anytime it is asked because sovereignty is, well you know, so last century.
It depends on the information but I can definitely understand withholding information from services not hosted in Australia. Things like Google Docs were I store notes, half finished story ideas, and stuff like that I really don't care who whose law it's subject too, but stuff like medical records, financial records, etc. I definitely want to be subject to Australian law and regulation only.
I don't think it's unreasonable either. Leaving aside all the NSA stuff, I really don't want private companies having the ability to share my information amongst themselves.
"sovereignty is one of the issues the ACMA wants to examine, with the regulator noting that 35 percent of Australians would withhold personal information from a site not based in Australia."
"...many users probably don't know where their data is hosted."
"...data portability could come under the regulatory spotlight..."
Why do I get the idea that the goal here is to subject as much data as possible to Australian legislation, so that the government can more easily get its grubby hands on it. No thanks. I'd rather have my data raped by a foreign government that isn't interested in it.
I'd rather have my data stored here, than to be subjected to the ever channnig whims of a foreign national whose policy I cannot directly influence.
At least here, I can vote the bastards out of office. If that fails, I can still throw a salami sandwich at them without the risk of being shot as a terrorist.
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