Responses in a recent Cisco-sponsored Cloud Security Alliance survey (hyperlink) illustrate that many data privacy challenges previously cast in the  "too hard" basket can be more readily navigated though focusing on universal principles across Cloud, IoT and Big Data.  Survey responses showed a surprisingly strong level of interest in a global consumer bill of rights and responses were overwhelming in favor of the OECD data privacy principles facilitating the trends of Cloud, IoT and Big Data.

Following are the most significant findings:

Data Residency and Sovereignty

Data residency and sovereignty challenges continue to emerge.  However, there was a common theme of respondents identifying "personal data" and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) as the data that is required to remain resident in most countries.

User Consent

73 percent of respondents indicated that there should be a call for a global consumer bill of rights and saw the United Nations as fostering that.  This is of great significance with the harmonization efforts taking place in Europe with a single EU data Privacy Directive to represent 28 European member states. As well as with the renewed calls for a U.S. Consumer Bill of Privacy Rights in the United States and cross-border privacy arrangements in Australia and Asia.

Privacy Principles

Finally we explored whether OECD privacy principles that have been very influential in the development of many data privacy regulations also facilitate popular trends in cloud, IoT and big data initiatives or cause room for tension.  The responses were very much in favor of facilitating the various trends.

The survey report includes an executive summaryfromDr. Ann Cavoukian, Former Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada and commentary from other industry experts on the positive role that privacy can play in developing new and innovative cloud, IoT and Big Data Solutions. Read the Data Protection Heat Index survey report: