iTnews
  • Home
  • News
  • Technology
  • Networking

Victoria calls for privacy in cloud design

By Ry Crozier on Apr 3, 2012 11:00AM
Victoria calls for privacy in cloud design

Privacy commissioner outlines risks for agencies.

Acting Victorian Privacy Commissioner Anthony Bendall has called on cloud providers to adopt a 'privacy by design' mindset when creating services for government consumption.

Bendall told the Local Government Forum in Melbourne last month (pdf) that government adoption of cloud services is "somewhat inevitable", given take-up by private businesses.

However, he urged cloud providers to take the privacy obligations of government users into account to enable departments, agencies and councils to consume cloud services.

"If private organisations want to come to the cloud computing party and provide services to government, they should ensure they are compliant with privacy laws, because ultimately if something happens, it is the government organisation or council's data (and reputation) that is at stake," Bendall said.

"My office has already been consulted on projects where it is being used without deep analysis of the risks and benefits or a full appreciation of the impacts it might have on informational privacy."

Bendall highlighted lack of control as a key risk in turning workloads over to a cloud provider.

"Organisations usually give up control for cost savings and convenience, but when the additional steps required to ensure privacy protection are factored in, there may be no actual cost savings benefit to the organisation," he said.

Bendall urged government organisations negotiating cloud deals to "ensure that the cloud provider has appropriate data security".

"[It] sounds like an obvious point, but it has been my experience and the experience of my office that it is often overlooked in favour of other benefits, usually cost and convenience," he said.

"Data security doesn't immediately impact the bottom line like slashing costs on server maintenance."

Bendall urged government organisations to push for "an honest and fulsome discussion" with prospective providers "over what exactly happens when there's a data breach".

"It goes a long way to ensuring that personal information is protected," he said.

He also warned agencies against "de-identifying anything containing personal information
so that it can be stored on cloud servers".

"The resources required to de-identify information is often understated and overlooked," he said.

"There are also risks where de-identification is not done properly and a person can be reidentified easily with increasingly sophisticated data matching techniques."

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright © iTnews.com.au . All rights reserved.
Tags:
cloudcloudcovercommissionerdesignnetworkingprivacysecurityservicevictoria

Partner Content

Avoiding CAPEX by making on-premise IT more cloud-like
Promoted Content Avoiding CAPEX by making on-premise IT more cloud-like
Why rethinking your CMS is crucial for customer retention
Promoted Content Why rethinking your CMS is crucial for customer retention
Why Genworth Australia embraced low-code software development
Promoted Content Why Genworth Australia embraced low-code software development
Accenture and Google Cloud team up to create a loveable, Australian-first, renewable energy product
Promoted Content Accenture and Google Cloud team up to create a loveable, Australian-first, renewable energy product

Sponsored Whitepapers

Extracting the value of data using Unified Observability
Extracting the value of data using Unified Observability
Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers
Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers
NextGen Security Operations: A Roadmap for the Future
NextGen Security Operations: A Roadmap for the Future
Video: Watch Juniper talk about its Aston Martin partnership
Video: Watch Juniper talk about its Aston Martin partnership

Events

  • Micro Focus Information Management & Governance (IM&G) Forum 2022
  • CRN Channel Meets: CyberSecurity Live Event
  • IoT Insights: Secure By Design for manufacturing
  • Cyber Security for Government Summit
  • Forrester Technology & Innovation Asia Pacific 2022
By Ry Crozier
Apr 3 2012
11:00AM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • RBA pushes first IaaS workload into Azure
  • 5 essential digital transformation ideas
  • Azure misconfiguration exposed ISOC members' info
  • AFP, Vic Police and Illion requested Victorian QR code data
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

Qantas calls time on IBM, Fujitsu in tech modernisation

Qantas calls time on IBM, Fujitsu in tech modernisation

PayTo rollout kicks off

PayTo rollout kicks off

Neobank Volt exits the banking industry

Neobank Volt exits the banking industry

TPG Telecom puts fresh targets on IT simplification

TPG Telecom puts fresh targets on IT simplification

Digital Nation

IBM global chief data officer on the rise of the number crunchers
IBM global chief data officer on the rise of the number crunchers
The security threat of quantum computing
The security threat of quantum computing
COVER STORY: Operationalising net zero through the power of IoT
COVER STORY: Operationalising net zero through the power of IoT
Integrity, ethics and board decisions in the digital age
Integrity, ethics and board decisions in the digital age
Crypto experts optimistic about future of Bitcoin: Block
Crypto experts optimistic about future of Bitcoin: Block
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.