Data is always a hot topic in the cloud sector. Customers constantly rate data security as their number one concern when considering cloud adoption. And the Snowden revelations of what the US government has been up to have turned the heat up on the data analysis.

Data regulation haggling

The new EU Data Protection Regulation is nearing completion in advance of the meeting of the justice ministers on June 15 & 16 with a new consolidated text and a suggestion that it might be passed in December 2015. However, there are reports over haggling between EU member states over some of the provisions so there may be some last minute changes. Here are 4 ways it will affect cloud providers.

Cost of data breaches continues to soar

A new report by the UK government and PwC shows there an increase in the number of large (90%) and small (74%) organisations experiencing data breaches. Not only that but the cost of these has also increased ranging between £1.46m-£3.14m. Don’t forget fines for breaches will increase to 5% of global turnover under the new regulation.

Safe Harbour changes

As I mentioned previously, so incensed was it about snooping by the US government that the EU Commission revisited the Safe Harbour agreement allowing data transfers to the US. Those negotiations are reportedly nearing completion.

USA Freedom Act

The new “Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015” (aka USA Freedom Act) has become law curtailing the mass collection of American citizen’s phone records by the NSA. The American Civil Liberties Union has called it a milestone but points out it is not comprehensive reform as it “still leaves many of the US government’s most intrusive and overbroad surveillance powers untouched”.

What do you make of this? Are you ready for the changes to data law?

Image courtesy of renjith krishnan “Data Security” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net