Learning the law on Data in the cloud

The importance of business managers understanding the legal aspects of exploiting cloud computing cannot be understated, especially when it comes to knowing where data is being stored, where it should be stored, and what laws apply to not only to their business, but the businesses of their customers and partners.

So a conference being put on by the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) in London this coming Wednesday (November 27^th) may be a good place to start. The event, which is free to attend and entitled ‘Myth-busting - The importance of understanding where your data is in the Cloud’, is being put on by the Cloud Industry Legal Forum, the legal Special Interest Group of CIF.

Its aim is to debunk the legal myths about cloud computing, and high on the agenda will be the matter of data sovereignty and state access to data in the cloud. It will also set out to explain the rapidly developing European Union cloud computing strategy, proposals to apply copyright levies on Cloud Service Providers (CSPs), and data privacy.

Guest speakers will include: Conor Ward, Partner at Hogan Lovells and Chair of CILF; Dr Richard Sykes, Chairman, Cloud Industry Forum; Ben Jaffey, Barrister; Simon Rice, Principal Policy Adviser at the UK Information Commissioners Office; and Ken Ducatel, Head of Unit for software, services and cloud at the European Commission.

 “Businesses often assume knowledge of the laws regulating governmental access to data in their home jurisdictions, and they make further assumptions about the legal regimes abroad where cloud service providers may be located,” said Conor Ward, Partner at Hogan Lovells and Chair of CILF. “The existence of Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties greatly diminishes any argument that data stored in one jurisdiction is immune from access by other governmental authorities in another jurisdiction. In the wake of the Prism scandal, concerns have no doubt intensified, but for the most part, the picture today isn’t materially different from five years ago.”

Alex Hilton, CIF’s CEO, added: “Businesses are misleading themselves and their customers if they contend that restricting Cloud Service Providers to one jurisdiction better insulates data from governmental access. For many end users the message to-date has been one of fear, uncertainty and doubt on the law, and that has had the potential to hold the market back. This event will debunk this myth and address the legal issues relating to data sovereignty, along with a number of key topics, including the European Commission’s cloud computing strategy.”

The event starts at 3.30pm and is being held at Hogan Lovells International LLP, Atlantic House, Holborn Viaduct, London, EC1A 2FG. Spaces are limited and on a first-come basis. For more information, look here.