User-Centred Privacy Aspercts in Connection with Location Based Services

Abstract

Abstract

This is a Cand Scient thesis from the Institute for Informatics, Universtiy of Oslo.

This thesis is about user centred privacy aspects with Location Based Services (LBS). The aim of the thesis is to answer how LBS can affect users privacy, how users react to these changes, and how we can minimise users privacy concerns.

The concept of privacy is discussed. In this discussion it is established why privacy is important for the individual and society, privacy s contextual dependency and how technology can affect privacy. LBS are also discussed. In this discussion, the LBS idea , the technological background, and a general service model are presented.

In order to interpret and describe observations, a theoretical framework is presented. The framework is based on theories of what regulation of privacy is, its dependency on and a description of context, and a vocabulary for describing how technology can affect the regulatory balance. The framework incorporates theories from the fields of privacy, sociology, context-aware computing and Science and Technology studies, and presents a set of guidelines for investigating user centred privacy aspects with technologies.

Based on these guidelines, two case simulations were conducted, one investigating aspects relating to User vs. Surroundings, and one investigating aspects relating to User vs. Commercial interests. The latter incorporates the use of a P3P based policy tool using privacy critics. The case simulations are presented and discussed. Aspects relating to User vs. Government (Surveillance) fall outside the guidelines of the presented framework, and are discussed separately.

The thesis concludes with a discusison of the work and findings in respect to LBS affect on privacy, users reacitons and possible solutions. The privacy destroying potential of LBS and users relatively poor understanding of privacy aspects are acknowledged, and questions are raised over the effects of using the type of Privacy Enhancing Technologies such as policy tool tested.