Privacy and data protection in mobile cloud computing: A systematic mapping study

Abstract

As a result of a shift in the world of technology, the combination of ubiquitous mobile networks and cloud computing produced the mobile cloud computing (MCC) domain. As a consequence of a major concern of cloud users, privacy and data protection are getting substantial attention in the field. Currently, a considerable number of papers have been published on MCC with a growing interest in privacy and data protection. Along with this advance in MCC, however, no specific investigation highlights the results of the existing studies in privacy and data protection. In addition, there are no particular exploration highlights trends and open issues in the domain. Accordingly, the objective of this paper is to highlight the results of existing primary studies published in privacy and data protection in MCC to identify current trends and open issues. In this investigation, a systematic mapping study was conducted with a set of six research questions. A total of 1711 studies published from 2009 to 2019 were obtained. Following a filtering process, a collection of 74 primary studies were selected. As a result, the present data privacy threats, attacks, and solutions were identified. Also, the ongoing trends of data privacy exercise were observed. Moreover, the most utilized measures, research type, and contribution type facets were emphasized. Additionally, the current open research issues in privacy and data protection in MCC were highlighted. Furthermore, the results demonstrate the current state-of-the-art of privacy and data protection in MCC, and the conclusion will help to identify research trends and open issues in MCC for researchers and offer useful information in MCC for practitioners.

The Effects of Applying Privacy by Design to Preserve Privacy and Personal Data Protection in Mobile Cloud Computing: An Exploratory Study

“…Besides, the nature of cloud computing has important implications for the privacy of personal information, including questions about how secure the location is and who has access to it [34,35], which affects the MCC user's decision to use cloud storage [35]. Moreover, questions have been raised about threats and attacks of personal data privacy; research reported that improper security policies and practices in some locations are one of the issues of privacy and personal data protection in MCC [2,34,36,37]. However, the issue of privacy and personal data protection in MCC may cause laws and regulations noncompliance and also threats and attacks, such as leakage of user privacy, data misuse, disclosing information or data, and identity theft [2], and may even jeopardize personal data privacy where the MCC users might be exposed to, for instance, a spy, steal the user information, spam messages, social trolling and shaming, and internet viruses [38,39].…”

“…Although the debate continues about the best strategies for dealing with the various issues for privacy and personal data protection in MCC, the benefits of utilizing PbD for privacy and personal data protection in MCC are not explored. Specifically, no single study exists which explored the effects of applying PbD for privacy and personal data protection in MCC [2,40]. PbD is a general philosophy that demonstrates privacy should not be overviewed as an afterthought, but rather as a first-class requirement in the design of IT systems [41].…”

“…Today, the resources provided by mobile devices are among the most widely used media for saving and manipulating data in the current era [1,2]. However, the resources provided by mobile devices are considered to be limited.…”

“…For instance, in big data, research reported that relying on the number of downloads of mobile device applications, the volume of big data has a negative effect on firm performance [4]. Additionally, a recent investigation in big data reported that it would be necessary to monitor the evolution of the issues related to legal implications associated with terms of privacy and ownership of data [8] In spite of the seemingly convenient nature of MCC, it demonstrates various challenges for users concerning the privacy and security of their information [2]. The research reported four categories of privacy: Privacy of the person, privacy of personal data, privacy of personal behavior, and privacy of personal communication [9].…”

What constitutes adequate legal protection for the collection, use and sharing of mobility and location data in health care in South Africa?

“…2 These extended functions escalate concerns about privacy and data protection as the information collected often is used by or sold to third parties. 3 Data protection legislation largely is designed to safeguard against the exploitation of personal information through governing data collection, processing, and sharing. This protection includes data collected and processed through mobile phone use.…”