Privacy protection issues for healthcare wellness clouds

Healthcare is ubiquitous in every business organization. Whether as the primary focus of the business or as a function of the well-being of a firm's employees, health issues play a dominant role in commerce. This recognition and the demonstrated benefits of a healthy contributor or worker have promoted a rejuvenated emphasis on wellness. In order to garner the benefits of cloud computing and foster improved employee health, the Taiwan Collaboratory is developing a first instance of a Wellness Cloud, which is an integrated, interconnected, and intelligent well-being platform. As the data held in this cloud is potentially very sensitive, the protection of this data is of utmost importance. In this chapter, we present issues and solutions for protecting user data while enabling the data to be usefully processed and for value to be derived, by using advanced technology and by harnessing the cumulative knowledge or wisdom of the collective of users.