The contextual complexity of privacy in smart homes and smart buildings

Abstract

Smart technologies allow unprecedented visibility into activities in homes and buildings, while they enable new services that householders and workers will value. As people become increasingly aware of the magnitude and potentially sensitive nature of the data being collected through these technologies, privacy is emerging as a potential barrier to user adoption. In this paper, we apply leading privacy models to the results of qualitative research in which we solicited ideas for adding intelligence to homes and buildings, paying particular attention to information sensitivity about everyday activities that take place in those settings. We identify locations and activities that are particularly information-sharing sensitive, prioritize the salience of different types of privacy violations for householders and workers, and examine the influence of privacy attitudes on smart device ownership and desired future smart experiences.