With the rapid development of distributed renewable energy (DRE), demand response (DR) programs, and the proposal of the energy internet, the current centralized trading of the electricity market model is unable to meet the trading needs of distributed energy. As a decentralized and distributed accounting mode, blockchain technology fits the requirements of distributed energy to participate in the energy market. Corresponding to the transaction principle, a blockchain-based integrated energy transaction mechanism is proposed, which divides the trading process into two stages: the call auction stage and the continues auction stage. The transactions among the electricity and heat market participants were used as examples to explain the details of the trading process. Finally, the smart contracts of the transactions were designed and deployed on the Ethereum private blockchain site to demonstrate the validity of the proposed transaction scheme.

/pdf/integrated-energy-transaction-mechanisms-based-on-blockchain-4ugf306r1c.pdf

Integrated Energy Transaction Mechanisms Based on Blockchain Technology

This article examines UNCITRAL's draft Rules for Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) and argues that in low-value e-commerce cross-border transactions, the most effective consumer protection policy cannot be based on national laws and domestic courts, but on effective and monitored ODR processes with swift out-of-court enforceable decisions. The draft Rules propose a tiered procedure that culminates in arbitration. Yet, this procedure neither ensures out-of-court enforcement, nor does it guarantee compliance with EU consumer mandatory law. Accordingly, this article argues that the draft Rules may be inconsistent with the European approach to consumer protection.

/pdf/building-a-global-redress-system-for-low-value-cross-border-17cbd4zg9b.pdf

Building a global redress system for low-value cross-border disputes

Cloud Computing is a commonly used, yet ambiguous term, which can be used to refer to a multitude of differing dynamically allocated services. From a law enforcement and forensic investigation perspective, cloud computing can be thought of as a double edged sword. While on one hand, the gathering of digital evidence from cloud sources can bring with it complicated technical and cross-jurisdictional legal challenges. On the other, the employment of cloud storage and processing capabilities can expedite the forensics process and focus the investigation onto pertinent data earlier in an investigation. This paper examines the state-of-the-art in cloud-focused, digital forensic practises for the collection and analysis of evidence and an overview of the potential use of cloud technologies to provide Digital Forensics as a Service.

/pdf/overview-of-the-forensic-investigation-of-cloud-services-1d9was7ltm.pdf

Overview of the Forensic Investigation of Cloud Services

Every day we experience unprecedented data growth from numerous sources, which contribute to big data in terms of volume, velocity, and variability. These datasets again impose great challenges to analytics framework and computational resources, making the overall analysis difficult for extracting meaningful information in a timely manner. Thus, to harness these kinds of challenges, developing an efficient big data analytics framework is an important research topic. Consequently, to address these challenges by exploiting non-linear relationships from very large and high-dimensional datasets, machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) algorithms are being used in analytics frameworks. Apache Spark has been in use as the fastest big data processing arsenal, which helps to solve iterative ML tasks, using distributed ML library called Spark MLlib. Considering real-world research problems, DL architectures such as Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) is an effective approach to overcoming practical issues such as reduced accuracy, long-term sequence dependency, and vanishing and exploding gradient in conventional deep architectures. In this paper, we propose an efficient analytics framework, which is technically a progressive machine learning technique merged with Spark-based linear models, Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and LSTM, using a two-stage cascade structure in order to enhance the predictive accuracy. Our proposed architecture enables us to organize big data analytics in a scalable and efficient way. To show the effectiveness of our framework, we applied the cascading structure to two different real-life datasets to solve a multiclass and a binary classification problem, respectively. Experimental results show that our analytical framework outperforms state-of-the-art approaches with a high-level of classification accuracy.

A Two-Stage Big Data Analytics Framework with Real World Applications Using Spark Machine Learning and Long Short-Term Memory Network

This paper examines the new legal framework on consumer Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the EU. The primary contribution of this paper is in identifying that, harmonizing the complaint submission in a pan European Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform, and directing parties to nationally approved ADR entities that comply with minimum standards, will not fulfill the potential of an extra-judicial consumer redress system. This paper proposes key functions that the ODR platform should incorporate if it is to provide effective redress. This paper also argues that a successful ODR platform should include built-in incentives that encourage parties to: (i) participate in approved ADR processes; (ii) settle complaints with little or no intervention from neutral third parties; and (iii) ensure voluntary compliance with final outcomes.

A New Regulatory Framework for Extra-Judicial Consumer Redress: Where We are and How to Move Forward

Both Directive 95/46/EC and the new data protection framework proposed by the European Commission (the Draft Regulation published on January 25, 2012) aim to find an appropriate balance between data subjects’ rights and safeguards, and the free processing (and flow) of information across the European Union (and beyond), for an economic, compatible growth in line with the expectations of society (the "appropriate balance"). Therefore, lawful processing should be subject to the so-called "balancing test" which establishes the ultimate level of protection that can effectively be guaranteed when personal data is processed. In this respect, it can be argued that the Draft Regulation contains a set of requirements and obligations that can be described as a comprehensive 'Data Protection Compliance Program' ("DPCP") which itself creates an "appropriate balance" between data protection and free flow of information/data.

Legitimate interest of the data controller New data protection paradigm: legitimacy grounded on appropriate protection

We are in the midst of a revolution within computing. It goes under the name of cloud computing. Analysts estimate that in 2012, the size of the enterprise cloud-computing business may reach $60 billion to $80 billion – or about 10% of the global IT-service and enterprise-software market [DeSa09]. Such inevitable revolution brings about a lot of benefits but also several legal concerns. It has emerged from a recent study that security, privacy and legal matters represent the main obstacles that are encountered when implementing cloud computing, because the market provides only marginal assurance. This paper briefly describes the main legal issues related to cloud computing and then focuses on data protection and data security, which are by far the biggest concerns for both cloud service providers (CSPs) and (potential) customers. I build on the work done last year as contributor to the European Networks and Information Security Agency (ENISA) ‘Cloud Computing Risk Assessment’ to further analyse data protection and data security issues. It is worth clarifying that the present paper analyses cloud computing services offered by CSPs to businesses (as opposed to consumers), i.e., B2B cloud computing.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/SSRN_ID1701173_code797387.pdf?abstractid=1661437&mirid=1&type=2

Data Protection and Data Security Issues Related to Cloud Computing in the EU

We are in the midst of a revolution within computing. It goes under the name of cloud computing. Analysts estimate that in 2012, the size of the enterprise cloud-computing business may reach $60 billion to $80 billion – or about 10% of the global IT-service and enterprise-software market [DeSa09]. Such inevitable revolution brings about a lot of benefits but also several legal concerns. It has emerged from a recent study that security, privacy and legal matters represent the main obstacles that are encountered when implementing cloud computing, because the market provides only marginal assurance. This paper briefly describes the main legal issues related to cloud computing and then focuses on data protection and data security, which are by far the biggest concerns for both cloud service providers (CSPs) and (potential) customers. I build on the work done last year as contributor to the European Networks and Information Security Agency (ENISA) ’Cloud Computing Risk Assessment’ to further analyse data protection and data security issues. It is worth clarifying that the present paper analyses cloud computing services offered by CSPs to businesses (as opposed to consumers), i.e., B2B cloud computing.

Building trust in electronic communication is probably the biggest challenge of this era. It is a key element to achieving widespread use of new technologies and reaping the full benefit of e‐Commerce or other current phenomena like e‐Government and e‐Banking. Certification service providers can play a crucial role in the process of building trust in electronic communication, and clear and effective liability rules for these ‘trust dispensers’—meaning a system which is understandable, user‐friendly, coherent, and clear as to responsibilities and conditions for compensation—would give a strong impetus to the confidence of both consumers and businesses that rely on certificates. To that end, this article presents an in‐depth analysis and re‐interpretation of the liability of certification service providers as set out in Article 6 of the Electronic Signatures Directive. After balancing the pros and cons of the system recommended by the European legislator, another practicable system for the liability of cert...

Liability of Certification Service Providers Towards Relying Parties and the Need for a Clear System to Enhance the Level of Trust in Electronic Communication

The paper aims at discussing some major issues in relation to the complex and highly debated relationship between Cloud Service Providers ‘CSPs’ and government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws Law Enforcement Agencies – ‘LEAs’. Our analysis focuses on the EU situation and investigates whether the protection of personal data of EU citizens against LEAs' access is adequately guaranteed and what are the main elements that have to be taken into account by CPSs when dealing with LEAs' requests. After a brief overview of the existing international scenario, the legal grounds of LEAs' activities in the cloud is examined. The main focus is on the Council of Europe Cybercrime Convention, regarded by the EU Commission as ‘the main legal instrument’ in the fight against cybercrime. The whole analysis is applied to the relationship between CSPs and their clients. We consider the position recently expressed by the Art. 29 Working Party on cloud computing opinion no. 5/2012 and the European Cloud Strategy. In our conclusions we highlight the very delicate position of CSPs, precisely taken between an obligation to comply with LEAs' requests, data protection regulations and obligations of transparency towards their clients.

Paolo Balboni

Papers

Legitimate interest of the data controller New data protection paradigm: legitimacy grounded on appropriate protection

Data Protection and Data Security Issues Related to Cloud Computing in the EU

Data Protection and Data Security Issues Related to Cloud Computing in the EU

Liability of Certification Service Providers Towards Relying Parties and the Need for a Clear System to Enhance the Level of Trust in Electronic Communication

Law Enforcement Agencies' activities in the cloud environment: a European legal perspective