Cloud computing under scrutiny

The Electronic Privacy Information Center has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate cloud computing services at Google because of concerns the data may not be properly protected. "We think the time is right for the F.T.C. to look more closely at cloud computing services," Marc Rotenberg, executive director of EPIC, told the New York Times. "American consumers are becoming more dependent on these services. Obviously, they are useful, but there are ongoing privacy and security issues that need to be addressed."

EPIC noted that Google "routinely represents to consumers that documents stored on Google servers are secure." But Google's says it is not responsible for any liabilities that could happen to the data. Adam Kovacevich, a Google spokesman, told the Times the company had not yet reviewed the complaint. "We are highly aware of how important our users' data is to them and take our responsibility very seriously," he said.

The complaint focuses on Gmail, Google Docs and other cloud computing services offered to the public by Google.

For more on this complaint:
- check out this New York Times article

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