Exploring the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance in cloud services: insights from Swedish public organizations on privacy compliance

Abstract

The adoption of cloud services offers manifold advantages to public organizations; however, ensuring data privacy during data transfers has become increasingly complex since the inception of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This study investigates privacy concerns experienced by public organizations in Sweden, focusing on GDPR compliance. A qualitative interpretative approach was adopted, involving semi-structured interviews with seven employees from five public organizations in Sweden. Additionally, secondary data were gathered through an extensive literature review. The collected data were analyzed and classified using the seven privacy threat categories outlined in the LINDDUN framework. The key findings reveal several significant privacy issues when utilizing public cloud services, including unauthorized access, loss of confidentiality, lack of awareness, lack of trust, legal uncertainties, regulatory challenges, and loss of control. The study underscores the importance of implementing measures such as anonymization, pseudonymization, encryption, contractual agreements, and well-defined routines to ensure GDPR compliance. The findings emphasize the importance of implementing measures such as anonymization, pseudonymization, encryption, contractual agreements, and well-defined routines to ensure GDPR compliance. Furthermore, this research highlights the critical aspect of digital sovereignty in addressing privacy challenges associated with public cloud service adoption by public organizations in Sweden.