Ghost in the Machine: but does the ghost “invent” what it makes?

Today cloud computing is an integral metaphor for the internet: an amorphous system we work with; we store and retrieve stuff from; something we experience all the time without really understanding what it is – everything just works. It’s a place where we share, transact, shop, bank, socialise, borrow books and vote. Sure, its physical infrastructure consists of tangible telephone lines, fibre optics, satellites, cables on the seafloor, and distributed networked computers, but what level of control and understanding do we really have over the treasure trove of data stored within and the software employed to bring it to life? Given its relative obscurity, the cloud is inherently less visible and less amenable to critique, investigation, preservation and regulation.