Unlocking usable privacy - new Book offers a blueprint for navigating user-centric privacy
2024-05-06Farzaneh Karegar, lecturer in informatics, together with Simone Fischer-Hübner, professor in computer science, you have written the book The curious case of usable privacy: Challenges, Solutions, and Prospects.
Farzaneh Karegar, tell us what the book is about
- The book addresses the field of useful privacy and its challenges, solutions and new opportunities. Usable privacy is about the interplay between privacy and human computer interaction (HCI) emphasizing the importance of user-friendly tools and technologies that conform to human behavior and expectations.
Why does usable privacy matter?
- Because it is about how and why users interact with privacy functions, tools and technologies and how their interactions can be improved. The goal is to ensure that all users can effectively control their personal information, exercise their privacy rights and make informed decisions about their privacy.
In the book, Farzaneh Karegar, and Simone Fischer-Hübner also explore the background to privacy tools and technologies and the development of privacy rules and regulations.
– Further, we have a chapter on the intricate issues related to conducting usable privacy research, HCI challenges, and problems concerning the ever-evolving world of privacy laws. First time to our knowledge, this book is the only one that discusses and explores most of the issues associated with usable privacy research at once. Nevertheless, challenges are fertile ground for innovation. Thus, we also provide a blueprint for addressing these challenges and establishing pathways for a more privacy-conscious world.
- We also look at the future of usable privacy research with topics such as the Internet of Things (IoT), usability for privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs), and usable privacy for developers, as well as the often overlooked privacy stories from marginalized communities.
Explain the concept of PET
- PET's are the tools and practices designed to help protect individuals' personal information and improve their privacy when using technology services. PETs are becoming increasingly important in the digital age where large amounts of personal information are constantly collected, processed and shared.