Today cloud computing is an integral metaphor for the
internet: an amorphous system we work with; we store and retrieve
stuff from; something we experience all the time without really
understanding what it is – everything just works. It's a
place where we share, transact, shop, bank, socialise, borrow books
and vote. Sure, its physical infrastructure consists of tangible
telephone lines, fibre optics, satellites, cables on the seafloor,
and distributed networked computers, but what level of control and
understanding do we really have over the treasure trove of data
stored within and the software employed to bring it to life? Given
its relative obscurity, the cloud is inherently less visible and
less amenable to critique, investigation, preservation and
regulation.
