Awareness of context and privacy

Abstract

Editor's Summary Adding contextual information enhances the content and value of communications, yet it can also introduce risk and threaten privacy. A common piece of contextual information is location, but context extends to identity, user profile, e‐mail address, time and more. Understanding context from the standpoint of privacy awareness requires a systematic conceptualization of the concepts of privacy and context, personally identifiable information and the ways information flows, from processing and creation through transfer and acceptance. Numerous examples illustrate the potential chain of connections that could be revealed between a personal subject and context. Such information, made explicit, can undermine privacy policies. Integrating context‐ and location‐aware services in software should be approached cautiously and with full understanding of the implications. Diagrammed scenarios provided can inform considerations and software specification building.