Privacy-awareness of Users in our Cloudy Smart World

Abstract

Recent advances in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) are expanding the world of Internet services with smart applications running on interconnected smart devices. Cloud computing already started to dominate the Internet, and with the appearance of Internet of Things (IoT), and Fog and Edge computing IoT-Fog-Cloud systems are formed. Beside such architectural developments, Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods receive new interests by managing Big Data coming from these complex, heterogeneous systems. In May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in the European Union (EU) to strengthen users’ influence on their personal data. Though the initiative of the regulation was known two years before, the 25th May, 2018 was a shock for many ICT actors. The privacy awareness of end-users of the Internet of Services is also wanting, and the emergence of new technologies in this field further complicates the identification of data protection responsibilities. In this paper summarize the GDPR novelties affecting the design and operation of IoT applications in fogs and clouds, we present the results of a recent survey on the GDPR awareness of international students on privacy issues related to the usage of IoT-Fog-Cloud systems and AI solutions. Based on the results of the survey, we also state our implications for safer utilization of these complex ICT systems in the future.