Privacy and Participation in Ubiquitous Information Systems: Information Ethics when Mobile Phones are Sensors
Author(s)
Shilton, Katie
Burke, Jeff
Estrin, Deborah
Hansen, Mark
Srivastava, Mani
Issue Date
2008-02-28
Keyword(s)
ubiquitous computing
privacy
ethics
embedded networked sensing
Abstract
Ubiquitious information systems hold increasing promise for widespread participation in data
collection and dissemination. Common and abundant devices such as mobile phones can
sense and record data such as location, sound, and images. These systems can facilitate
community participation in basic and applied research, improvement of quality of life, social
change, self-reflection, and creative expression. But the design and use of these tools also pose
new challenges for privacy, data security, and ethics.
This paper explores responsible approaches to the design of systems for ubiquitous digital
capture. The authors include an Information Studies researcher working alongside computer
scientists and engineers from the Center for Embedded Networked Sensing (CENS). This
ongoing partnership pairs ethical frameworks developed within Information Studies and
Science and Technology Studies with system design expertise and concrete, real-world
challenges. For example, CENS is developing a platform to share activity inferences generated
with geospatial data from mobile phones to assess personal environmental impact. CENS is
also exploring systems for capturing and sharing data about neighborhood walkability and
other community assets. The ongoing research detailed in this paper investigates how such
ubiquitous sensing projects can conscientiously collect personal data for social science and
participatory research applications.
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