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Charges that the research firm Cambridge Analytica have misused the information of over 50 million Facebook users has been like oil to a flame in questioning the privacy of social media. How much information have social networks stored about you?

The tech industry in the UK has issued a warming to ministers that a transition away from EU data protection standards following Brexit will damage the UK’s status as a technology hub. Amid the growing misunderstanding amongst Brexiteers that diverging from the tough EU data protection laws will give Britain a competitive advantage compared to other EU states in this fast growing sector.

WHOIS, one of oldest tools on internet for verifying real identities, is at risk of being killed due to tough data protection with new GDPR regulations. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect in May and is an attempt to strengthen European data protection. However, it is thought that some of the new rights and responsibilities will conflict with existing technologies that have provided transparency on the internet.

The digital economy now contributes approximately £97 billion a year to the UK economy and is attracting a significant amount of investment each year. It was very important that the technology sector was included in the sampled population for the questionnaire. The survey aimed to determine what the current use of the cloud is within this industry and additionally what individuals from this sector view as the greatest challenges to their IT plans over the next few years.

Hundreds of Scientific Research companies hold their headquarters or research facilities in the UK. not only do they represent a significant proportion of the UK economy, but also attract a great deal of Government and investment activity. The survey aimed to determine what the current use of the cloud is within this industry and what individuals from this sector view as the greatest challenges to their IT plans over the next few years.

Creative Skillset has revealed that 153,000 people work in the marketing and advertising industry in the UK alone. This is a rapidly growing industry and it is for this reason that it was included in the survey. The survey aimed to determine what the current use of the cloud is within this industry and what individuals from this sector view as the greatest challenges to their IT plans over the next few years.

The Utilities Sector, made up of electric, gas and water firms, and the energy sector alone accounts for approximately 5% of GDP. The organisations surveyed in the UK Cloud Snapshot Survey were predominantly energy companies. The survey aimed to determine what the current use of the cloud is within this industry and what individuals from this sector view as the greatest challenges to their IT plans over the next few years.

In 2016, the finance and insurance sector contributed £124.2 billion to the UK economy in gross value added. This sector therefore makes up a significant proportion of the UK economy, and it for this reason this sector was included in the survey. The survey aimed to determine what the current use of the cloud is within this industry and additionally what individuals from this sector view as the greatest challenges to their IT plans over the next few years.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is clearly the largest external focus for companies in the lead up to its introduction in May 2018. GDPR mandates considerably tougher penalties than the current Data Protection Act; organisations found in breach of the Regulation can expect administrative fines of up to 4% of annual global turnover or €20 million – whichever is greater. Fines of this scale could very easily lead to business insolvency.

In the past, cyber attackers have often been unaware of how much stolen data is worth to organisations. However, the implementation of GDPR means that organisations can be fined up to 4% of their global annual turnover or €20m, whichever is greater, if found to have a data breach. These fines effectively provide cyber criminals with a price point for criminals to understand how much the data is worth to organisations.