If data in the cloud is stored in data centers and not in personal computers, this brings up the very important question of who owns it. Whereas earlier models of the internet allowed for distributed ownership of resources that could be used collectively, the cloud centralizes ownership and establishes very specific parameters for how data is shared. Instead of data being stored at each individual computer and each individual node deciding what data to share or not share, the cloud represents a model in which data is stored in "banks" that are owned by private corporations.

Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, loc. 183