The Internet has transformed the way we think about innovation and how we achieve economic growth. There are close to three billion users connected to the Internet and that number will continue to grow. Virtual computing, and now cloud computing, has expanded the potential of the Internet by offering greater options and improved services—from e-mail to social networking to consumers, and online shared services for business that reduce costs, improve efficiencies, and expand reach. But with this new form of IT comes new risks that must be addressed.

Regulators worldwide have growing concerns about upholding the right to privacy in the cloud. The amount of data in play, how it may be collected, who can access it and how it may be used have fundamentally changed.

The majority of our privacy and data protection laws were created before widespread use of the Internet, let alone the cloud. These laws and associated regulations must be modernized to match a global Internet-based economy and data-rich environment. Given the importance of Internet-based services to the economy and consumers, these new frameworks must balance the tension between innovation and legitimate privacy rights. The key is organizational accountability and social responsibility.