Privacy Negotiation as a Mitigation Strategy for Incidental Users to Lessen Concerns in Smart Home Environments

Abstract

Smart home devices are increasingly common, with nearly half of U.S. households having one or more devices. From speakers and TVs to cameras and appliances, smart home devices provide convenience, entertainment, and security to users. At the same time, these devices collect a wide range of data from a traditionally private space–-the home—and raise numerous privacy concerns related to what data is collected, by whom, and for what purpose. Yet, concerns about privacy in smart homes are not limited to those who purchase, install, use, and manage smart home devices (i.e., primary users). Non-primary users, or bystanders and incidental users, interact with smart home devices and are subject to their data being used by them. However, the lack of awareness and access/control of smart home devices limits non-primary users' ability to mitigate their concerns. To address non-primary users' lack of options to protect their privacy in smart homes, privacy negotiation, whereas primary and non-primary users communicate about smart home devices usage to negotiate privacy preferences, has been suggested as a usable mitigation strategy for non-primary users. This dissertation assesses the viability and feasibility of privacy negotiation by approaching it from the stakeholders' perspective and engaging stakeholders in it. To do this, I conduct three studies to understand users' willingness to negotiate (i.e., viability), each from primary and incidental users' perspectives, and to understand the processes and values involved in privacy negotiation (i.e., feasibility). Using (group) interviews and participatory design methods (e.g., game), I found that users' willingness to negotiate is contextual (e.g., types and locations of smart home devices, frequency and duration of visit) and factors that hinder (e.g., lack of guidance, social awkwardness) or facilitate (e.g., trust) negotiation. When engaged in privacy negotiation, users found exchanging information and viewpoints meaningful, as they promoted mutual understanding, regardless of negotiation outcomes. Based on these findings, I argue that privacy negotiation is viable, but for it to be feasible, sociotechnical factors must be considered.