Ethical Problems Caused by "The Cloud"

In investigating the potential ethical issues involved in using the cloud, I found an article in The National Law Review written by Meredith L. Williams.  She is the leading authority in knowledge management issues in the legal field.  Here is the link:
http://www.natlawreview.com/article/are-you-ready-cloud

Meredith believes that there are many benefits to using the cloud.  For businesses, the cloud can minimize costs, increase mobility, prepare for recovery, offer flexibility, and increase collaboration.  So what are the downfalls?

• How does a company get adequate IT support when the application is not local?
• How do departments protect their data when it is stored in hard drives that are far removed from their business?

Businesses need to determine where the data is being stored, implement physical security measures that will protect the data being stored, implement security during the transmission of information, determine recovery strategies, and develop quick security response times.

Meredith addresses many interesting problems with cloud computing.  When a business decides whether or not they will move to the cloud, they must consider the implications that this will have on the security of their information.

When I apply this to my own life, I know I have to be conscious of my information that I put on Facebook.  I often am warned about the negative implications of having too much information accessible to future employers.  Therefore, I make sure that my Facebook has very strict security settings so that anyone who is not my friend cannot access my Facebook profile.  However, I often wonder if there are ways around these security measures, and what about the people who work for Facebook?  Can they access my information, and who can they share it with?

Technology Junky

I will be the first to admit that I am addicted to Facebook, however, I would not consider it a huge hinderance to my life and I don't really think of it as a problem.  For me, as an American in Madrid, Facebook is a major means of communication.  I have a very close relationship with my two younger sisters, and through Facebook I can stay connected with them even though we are living on two different continents.  In addition, I can "chat" with my friends from home and my family members very easily and see pictures of the things that they are doing.  I also have pictures that my family is interested in seeing from my travels.  Facebook is a great tool to help me stay connected to my friends and family because it is my main method of communication with a lot of people.

In the article, the author talks about students that have withdrawal symptoms when they don't go on Facebook.  This is not something that I have ever experienced.  I think that I have a healthy connection to my friends and family through this website and Facebook serves as a great communication tool for me.  Last weekend, I was in Switzerland.  I did not check my Facebook and did not think about wanting to do so.  I did not mind feeling disconnected--at least for a couple of days.

In Madrid, I do not have a compulsive connection to my cell phone because I have a "pay as you go" phone and therefore use Facebook as the main means of communicating with my friends.  When I am in the United States, I believe that I am completely addicted to my cell phone.  I impulsively check my phone all the time and I text even when it is really not necessary.  I also talk on the phone very frequently.  My mom and I are extremely close and I talk to her on the phone for at least ten minutes each day.  When I am walking to class or running errands I almost instinctively call her to chat.  One day over Christmas break, I misplaced my phone for an afternoon.  I searched for it for at least one hour and could not think about anything else until it was found.  I was extremely anxious the entire time.  I think that this is the addictive behavior that Jill Laster is referring to in the article.

When I moved to Madrid, I no longer used my United States cell phone.  I also found myself in a different sort of environment so the constant need to check my phone completely stopped because I was preoccupied with other things.  When I return home, I will be curious to see if my old cell phone habit returns.

I believe that more current means of communication such as Facebook and texting can be addictive but are also just another form of communication that can be a helpful tool stay in contact with the people you love.