Cloud Security, Compliance Management, Privacy

Overseas companies reluctant to use U.S. cloud after Snowden NSA leaks

More than half of the respondents polled in a recent survey said they would be "less likely" to use a U.S.-based cloud provider in light of the mass National Security Agency surveillance program exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

According to the survey, conducted by the Cloud Security Alliance, a nonprofit that establishes best practices for secure cloud computing, 56 percent of 207 non-U.S. residents said their company would be less likely to engage U.S. providers. Ten percent said they already have canceled a project with a U.S. vendor. And 31 percent said the revelations have not impacted their plans to contract with an American provider.

U.S participants were asked whether the "Snowden Incident" made it more difficult to conduct business outside of the country, presumably because of the reputational harm it has caused. Thirty-six percent said yes, while the remainder said no.

In total, the study, released last week, queried 234 respondents based in the United States and 222 based overseas, 138 of whom are located in Europe.

Glenn Greenwald, The Guardian journalist who originally broke the news, said on Monday that it's made big waves outside of American borders. "One part of [the] NSA story under-covered by U.S. media is how much the story has resonated globally, causing big debate/scandal in many nations," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by encryption provider Voltage Survey at the Infosecurity Europe 2013 show, which took place prior to the leaks from Snowden, found that 62 percent of senior-level IT and security professionals believe the government "snoops" on their data in the cloud, without telling them.

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