Privacy, security, liberty: Informing the design of EMIS

Abstract

This paper explores issues of security, privacy and liberty arising in relation to ICT supported emergency management. The aim is to inform the design of emergency management information systems (EMIS) and architectures that support emergent interoperability and assembly of emergency management systems of systems. We show how transformations of social and material practices of privacy boundary management create challenges, opportunities and dangers in this context. While opportunities include development of more efficient and agile emergency management models, building on smart city concepts, dangers include surveillance, social sorting and an erosion of civil liberties. Against this backdrop, we briefly explore human practice focused 'privacy by design' as a candidate design avenue.