The anonymity vs. Utility dilemma

Abstract

The number, the type of users and their usage of the internet, computers and phones have evolved considerably, due to the emergence of the web 2.0, the decreasing cost of portable devices, the expansion of wired and wireless internet access and the digitalization of the main entertainment media. Protecting the assets of service and software providers has been the main driver for the development of security solutions in the past ten years. However, the users/customers/citizen rights have been too often neglected since the risk related to the wrong usage of personal related information was not considered by the other stakeholders. Today, the Right to Privacy is appearing on everyone's radar and factors as regulations, increasing number of news stories on privacy breaches, brand damages, arc forcing organizations to address user privacy as a priority. In this paper, we will briefly review the main business drivers behind the raising of privacy concerns, and outline some of the current technology solutions to address privacy requirements. Finally, we will describe some of the future challenges in the area of privacy. © 2009 Vieweg+Teubner | GWV Fachverlage GmbH, Wiesbaden.