Background
More and more smart devices are available for purchase each year. These devices promise convenience and comfort, however this comes at the cost of privacy and security. Smart devices tend to collect personal information, often without the direct awareness of owners. Did you know for example that most TVs on the market these days are smart TVs, and that they tend to have microphones? Apart from that, certain devices also suffer from security weaknesses, leading to all sorts of mischief by cybercriminals, such as spying through security cameras and screaming obscenities at the owners.
Most devices offer some options to mitigate privacy and security risks, at least to a certain extent. For example, there are options to share less information with providers and to secure accounts and devices from cyber-attacks. Owners tend to not change their settings after initial setup. Some also do not seem to be aware of the options they have.
With the opening of the IoT lab, we are able to explore how people interact with different kinds of smart devices. You can examine how people navigate through the settings, how long it takes to find certain settings, and how people feel about changing settings.
Research questions
How do people navigate their security and or privacy settings?
Who is more skilled, quick and successful with choosing protective settings, based on personal differences such as differences in knowledge and valuing privacy and security?
How can we stimulate people to take more protective action via the settings?
Type of research
Experimental or qualitative depending on the research question.
Key words
Smart Home, IoT, Security, Privacy
Information
If you are interested in this topic, please contact Steven Watson via s.j.watson@utwente.nl.
Literature
Abdi, N., Ramokapane, K.M., Such, J.M.: More than smart speakers: security and privacy perceptions of smart home personal assistants. In: Proceedings of the 15th Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS) (2019)
Acosta, L. H., & Reinhardt, D. " Alexa, How Do You Protect My Privacy?" A Quantitative Study of User Preferences and Requirements About Smart Speaker Privacy Settings. In ICT Systems Security and Privacy Protection: 39th IFIP International Conference, SEC 2024, Edinburgh, UK, June 12–14, 2024, Proceedings (p. 148). Springer Nature.
Lenhart, A., Park, S., Zimmer, M., & Vitak, J. (2023). " You Shouldn't Need to Share Your Data": Perceived Privacy Risks and Mitigation Strategies Among Privacy-Conscious Smart Home Power Users. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 7(CSCW2), 1-34.