Privacy Scales in Ubiquitous Computing Forum

Digital Privacy

Chapter Thirteen

Privacy Scales in Ubiquitous Computing Forum

People buy and use devices. All these devices can be connected to each other wirelessly. Also all these devices can be recognized automatically. People can track the devices; find their addresses, also potentially, trigger services or activities. Ubiquitous computing refers to the environment where these devices are enhanced with digital qualities.

Control is one of the UC problems. The control issues have been raised and this causes privacy issues associated with UC. Author states two reasons for losing privacy in UC environments.

1.      Losing control over being accessed: People will perceive control when they are aware that their response can lead them to desired outcome. Author stated that in a UC  environment, “this aspect would imply that people can easily opt out of being accessed by the intelligent infrastructure”

2.      Lack of control over inform use and maintenance

Based on RFID PET research, privacy enhancing technologies has two type models:

1.      User Model: In this model, users have full control over RFID tags.

2.      Agent Model: In this model, RFID tags are answering the network requests.

And also author has presented three scales developer of a UC and RFID technology.

1.      Control Definition and initial items development

2.      Empirical item testing

3.      Internal consistency and reliability of control items.

Reference:

Acquisti, Alessandro, Gritzalis, Stefanos, Lambrinoudakis, Costas, De Capitani Di Vimercati, Sabrina (2008). “Digital Privacy, Theory, Technologies, and Practices”. Auerback Publications. Taylor & Francis Group, LLC