Federal CIO Council cautions government agencies about cloud computing

Thursday, August 26, 2010

In a new document, the federal CIO Council warned government agencies about possible privacy concerns with using cloud computing for storing personally identifiable information.

While the cloud is a potential solution to the government’s increasing storage needs, there are hazards agencies must consider when storing certain information. The document does not discourage agencies from using cloud computing, but it does outline a proposed policy framework to ensure agencies comply with federal privacy regulations.

“Once an agency chooses a cloud computing provider to collect and store information, the individual is no longer providing information solely to the government, but also to a third party who is not necessarily bound by the same laws and regulations,” the document states.

Risks include ambiguously defined agreements that may allow cloud providers to analyze or search data for their own purposes, the unauthorized viewing of information and possible data loss.


The document recommends that agencies focus on the language of the contract to ensure they meet federal privacy regulations.

With almost $80 billion in 2010, the United States government has the largest annual IT budget of any organization. According to another report, the Obama administration has been particularly focused on adopting cloud computing technologies to help improve government services.