IMPACT OF BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY ON DATA PRIVACY AND TRUST IN CLOUD COMPUTING

Abstract

This research aims to explore how blockchain technology affects data privacy and trust in Cloud Computing. While the cloud offers organizations and users the promise of flexible, scalable, and cost-effective digital services, cloud users and organizations still have concerns about control of their data, unauthorized access, privacy violations, and trust in cloud service providers. This study aims to examine the potential of blockchain technology to enhance perceived data privacy and trust in the cloud-based context. The research design used in this study was quantitative. A structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data from 265 respondents. Data privacy and data trust were conceptualized as dependent variables, and blockchain technology as an independent variable. The analysis of the collected data was carried out using the method of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), which allowed us to assess the measurement model and the structural relationships between the models. The study suggests that the impact of blockchain technology on data privacy and trust in cloud computing is positive and significant. With the decentralization, transparency, immutability, traceability, and cryptographic verification that are expected to be hallmarks of the blockchain, issues of privacy are likely to diminish, and users will have increased confidence in cloud-based systems. This study adds to the literature of cloud computing and blockchain, as it empirically investigates an important, but simple model of blockchain technology with regard to data privacy and trust. The study offers insights from primary data and real-world implications for cloud service providers, IT managers, and other organizations looking to enhance the privacy protection and trust of their cloud-based services and solutions via blockchain technology.