Privacy-Aware Smart Home Data Management

Interactive Privacy Preferences Management in Shared Spaces in Internet of Things

The balance between protecting users’ privacy while providing cost-effective functional and usable devices is a key challenge in the Internet of Things (IoT) industry. The primary user interface in traditional desktop and mobile contexts is a screen. However, in IoT, screens are rare or very small, which invalidate most traditional interaction approaches (i.e., popup notifications). We examine how end-users interact with IoT products and how the IoT devices convey information back to the users, particularly regarding their data (i.e., How IoT devices manage data about end-users). We explore how individuals with a non-technical background can be notified about the privacy-related information of the spaces they inhabit in an easily understandable way.

This project’s primary objective is to develop a tangible device that facilitates interactive privacy preferences management of IoT devices in shared spaces such as smart homes. We envision our ‘PrivacyCube’ as an enhanced privacy notice for the IoT devices and assist people in making informed privacy decisions and increasing privacy awareness. ‘PrivacyCube’ is expected to act as a centralised hub that visualises how various smart home devices manage data. This project has three objectives:

• Review the various methods available to notify the end-users while considering the factors that should be involved in the notification alerts within the physical domain.
• Develop a tangible interactive device that serves as a privacy notice and visualises how IoT devices manage data in shared spaces such as smart homes.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the PrivacyCube towards increasing privacy awareness and privacy preference management in shared spaces such as smart homes.

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