Enabling User-centered Privacy Controls for Mobile Applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Tanusree Sharma ◽  
Hunter A. Dyer ◽  
Masooda. Bashir

Mobile apps have transformed many aspects of clinical practice and are becoming a commonplace in healthcare settings. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has provided the opportunity for such apps to play an important role in reducing the spread of the virus. Several types of COVID-19 apps have enabled healthcare professionals and governments to communicate with the public regarding the pandemic spread, coronavirus awareness, and self-quarantine measures. While these apps provide immense benefits for the containment of the spread, privacy and security of these digital tracing apps are at the center of public debate. To address this gap, we conducted an online survey of a midwestern region in the United State to assess people’s attitudes toward such apps and to examine their privacy and security concerns and preferences. Survey results from 1,550 participants indicate that privacy/security protections and trust play a vital role in people’s adoption of such apps. Furthermore, results reflect users’ preferences wanting to have control over their personal information and transparency on how their data is handled. In addition, personal data protection priorities selected by the participants were surprising and yet revealing of the disconnect between technologists and users. In this article, we present our detailed survey results as well as design guidelines for app developers to develop innovative human-centered technologies that are not only functional but also respectful of social norms and protections of civil liberties. Our study examines users’ preferences for COVID-19 apps and integrates important factors of trust, willingness, and preferences in the context of app development. Through our research findings, we suggest mechanisms for designing inclusive apps’ privacy and security measures that can be put into practice for healthcare-related apps, so that timely adoption is made possible.

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Endre Győző Szabó ◽  
Balázs Révész

A magánélet és a biztonság népszerű ellentétpárként tűnhet fel az adatvédelmi gondolkodásban. Leegyszerűsítve olvashatjuk sokszor, hogy ha bizonyos feltételek hiányoznak, aránytalanul nagy áldozatot hozhatunk a személyes magánszféra, a privacy oldalán a biztonság érdekében, és magánszféránk túlzott feláldozása a biztonság oltárán visszafordíthatatlan folyamathoz és orwelli világhoz vezet. Más, a biztonság szempontjait mindenek felettinek hirdető érvelésben viszont a személyes adatok védelmére való hivatkozást alkotmányjogi bűvészkedésnek csúfolják és igyekeznek kisebbíteni a magánszféra-védelem egyébként méltányolandó értékeit. A magánélet és a személyes adatok védelmének pedig nagy a tétje, az adatok illetéktelenek részére való kiszolgáltatása, rosszhiszemű felhasználása egzisztenciákat, családokat tehet tönkre, boldogulási lehetőségeket hiúsíthat meg, ha a védelem alacsony szintre süllyed. Másrészről pedig az információszerzés, illetve előzetes adatgyűjtés a különböző bűnelkövetések, terrorcselekmények előkészületi cselekményei is egyben. Azzal, ha a személyes adataink, magánszféránk védelmében ésszerű lépéseket teszünk, élünk a jog és a technológia adta védelmi lehetőségekkel, adatainkat nemcsak az államtól és a piaci szereplőktől, de a bűnözőktől is elzárjuk, és ezzel mindannyiunk biztonságát szolgáljuk. Egy terület tehát biztosan létezik, ahol a biztonság és magánszféra mezsgyéje összeér: az adatbiztonságé és ezzel összefüggésben a tudatos, felelős felhasználói attitűdé, aminek azonban sokszor az emberi tényező a gátja. Jelen tanulmányban a magánszféra és biztonság kérdéskörének komplexitásáról szólunk, és közös nevezőt keresünk az adatkezelések nézőpontjából, kitérve az új adatvédelmi rendelet (GDPR) magánszféránkat és biztonságunkat egyaránt szolgáló leendő jogintézményeinek bemutatására is. --- Data in security – security in our data? Privacy and security may be deemed as a popular dichotomy. It is often argued that even if security is vital, we might sacrifice too much of our privacy in return. This may be irreversible when it comes to the intrusiveness of surveillance. On the other hand, it is also sometimes argued that the importance of personal data protection deserves less attention than security. There is much at stake when it comes to privacy and the protection of personal data. Misuse of personal information may damage families’ lives and ruin people’s livelihoods, thus this may all have significant repercussions for society as a whole – this is the price to be paid if protection is at a low level. Using sophisticated measures that technology and legal regulations can provide, privacy can be protected. Data security is a common field for the protection of privacy and security – crucial for both endeavours to make people’s lives better. This essay describes the complexity of issues related to privacy and security, while also taking new legislation of the European Union into account.


Cyber Crime ◽  
2013 ◽  
pp. 263-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Hu ◽  
Liam Peyton

Knowledge discovery is a critical component in improving health care. Health 2.0 leverages Web 2.0 technologies to integrate and share data from a wide variety of sources on the Internet. There are a number of issues which must be addressed before knowledge discovery can be leveraged effectively and ubiquitously in Health 2.0. Health care data is very sensitive in nature so privacy and security of personal data must be protected. Regulatory compliance must also be addressed if cooperative sharing of data is to be facilitated to ensure that relevant legislation and policies of individual health care organizations are respected. Finally, interoperability and data quality must be addressed in any framework for knowledge discovery on the Internet. In this chapter, we lay out a framework for ubiquitous knowledge discovery in Health 2.0 based on a combination of architecture and process. Emerging Internet standards and specifications for defining a Circle of Trust, in which data is shared but identity and personal information protected, are used to define an enabling architecture for knowledge discovery. Within that context, a step-by-step process for knowledge discovery is defined and illustrated using a scenario related to analyzing the correlation between emergency room visits and adverse effects of prescription drugs. The process we define is arrived at by reviewing an existing standards-based process, CRISP-DM, and extending it to address the new context of Health 2.0.


2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Patel ◽  
Mona Taghavi ◽  
Joaquim Celestino Júnior ◽  
Rodziah Latih ◽  
Abdullah Mohd Zin

Wikis are social networking systems that allow users to freely intermingle at different levels of communication such as collaborative learning, chatting, and group communications. Although a great idea and goal, it’s particularly vulnerable due to its features of open medium and lack of clear plan of defense. Personal data can be misused for virtual insulting, resulting in misuse of personal information for financial gains or creating misuses. Wikis are an example of social computing of collaborative learning, joint editing, brain storming, and virtual socializing, which is a ripe environment for hacking, deception, abuse, and misuse. Thus, wiki needs comprehensive security measures which include privacy, trust, security, audit, and digital forensics to protect users and system resources. This paper identifies and explores the needs of secure social computing and supporting information systems as places for interaction, data collection, and manipulation for wikis. It does this by reviewing the literature and related works in proposing a safety measure framework for a secure and trustworthy medium together with privacy, audit, and digital forensic investigative functions in wiki environments. These then can aid design and usage in social computing environments with the proviso to give comfort and confidence to users without worrying about abuse and cybercrime perpetrated activities.


JMIR Aging ◽  
10.2196/23313 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. e23313
Author(s):  
Alexandra A Portenhauser ◽  
Yannik Terhorst ◽  
Dana Schultchen ◽  
Lasse B Sander ◽  
Michael D Denkinger ◽  
...  

Background Through the increasingly aging population, the health care system is confronted with various challenges such as expanding health care costs. To manage these challenges, mobile apps may represent a cost-effective and low-threshold approach to support older adults. Objective This systematic review aimed to evaluate the quality, characteristics, as well as privacy and security measures of mobile apps for older adults in the European commercial app stores. Methods In the European Google Play and App Store, a web crawler systematically searched for mobile apps for older adults. The identified mobile apps were evaluated by two independent reviewers using the German version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale. A correlation between the user star rating and overall rating was calculated. An exploratory regression analysis was conducted to determine whether the obligation to pay fees predicted overall quality. Results In total, 83 of 1217 identified mobile apps were included in the analysis. Generally, the mobile apps for older adults were of moderate quality (mean 3.22 [SD 0.68]). Four mobile apps (5%) were evidence-based; 49% (41/83) had no security measures. The user star rating correlated significantly positively with the overall rating (r=.30, P=.01). Obligation to pay fees could not predict overall quality. Conclusions There is an extensive quality range within mobile apps for older adults, indicating deficits in terms of information quality, data protection, and security precautions, as well as a lack of evidence-based approaches. Central databases are needed to identify high-quality mobile apps.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra A Portenhauser ◽  
Yannik Terhorst ◽  
Dana Schultchen ◽  
Lasse B Sander ◽  
Michael D Denkinger ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Through the increasingly aging population, the health care system is confronted with various challenges such as expanding health care costs. To manage these challenges, mobile apps may represent a cost-effective and low-threshold approach to support older adults. OBJECTIVE This systematic review aimed to evaluate the quality, characteristics, as well as privacy and security measures of mobile apps for older adults in the European commercial app stores. METHODS In the European Google Play and App Store, a web crawler systematically searched for mobile apps for older adults. The identified mobile apps were evaluated by two independent reviewers using the German version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale. A correlation between the user star rating and overall rating was calculated. An exploratory regression analysis was conducted to determine whether the obligation to pay fees predicted overall quality. RESULTS In total, 83 of 1217 identified mobile apps were included in the analysis. Generally, the mobile apps for older adults were of moderate quality (mean 3.22 [SD 0.68]). Four mobile apps (5%) were evidence-based; 49% (41/83) had no security measures. The user star rating correlated significantly positively with the overall rating (<i>r</i>=.30, <i>P</i>=.01). Obligation to pay fees could not predict overall quality. CONCLUSIONS There is an extensive quality range within mobile apps for older adults, indicating deficits in terms of information quality, data protection, and security precautions, as well as a lack of evidence-based approaches. Central databases are needed to identify high-quality mobile apps.


Author(s):  
A. Denker

Abstract. The project of smart cities has emerged as a response to the challenges of twenty-first- century urbanization. Solutions to the fundamental conundrum of cities revolving around efficiency, convenience and security keep being sought by leveraging technology. Notwithstanding all the conveniences furnished by a smart city to all the citizens, privacy of a citizen is intertwined with the benefits of a smart city. The development processes which overlook privacy and security issues have left many of the smart city applications vulnerable to non-conventional security threats and susceptible to numerous privacy and personal data spillage risks. Among the challenges the smart city initiatives encounter, the emergence of the smartphone-big data-the cloud coalescence is perhaps the greatest, from the viewpoint of privacy and personal data protection. As our cities are getting digitalized, information comprising citizens' behavior, choices, and mobility, as well as their personal assets are shared over smartphone-big data-the cloud coalescences, thereby expanding cyber-threat surface and creating different security concerns. This coalescence refers to the practices of creating and analyzing vast sets of data, which comprise personal information. In this paper, the protection of privacy and personal data issues in the big data environment of smart cities are viewed through bifocal lenses, focusing on social and technical aspects. The protection of personal data and privacy in smart city enterprises is treated as a socio-technological operation where various actors and factors undertake different tasks. The article concludes by calling for novel developments, conceptual and practical changes both in technological and social realms.


2018 ◽  
Vol I (I) ◽  
pp. 26-31
Author(s):  
Javeria Nazeer ◽  
Muhammad Farooq

In recent era, Social networking sites (SNSs) have become an important source of communication and also became a matter of interest for researchers in several disciplines such as communications, technology and sociology. As SNSs are spreading rapidly, new issues regarding privacy and security are also raising. These Social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter etc. often reveal private data through the enclosure of public profiles, photographs, videos and messages send to the family, friends and general public. That is why the researcher is concerned to investigate the impact of Social networking sites (SNSs) on human basic privacy rights. As it was not possible to conduct a survey in complete population, therefore sample of 250 respondents (50% males & 50% females) was selected from different universities and colleges of Lahore, city of Pakistan. In the process of survey, questionnaire technique has been used to obtain the quantitative data. The findings revealed that Social Networking Sites significantly violate the human basic privacy rights. Majority of the respondents were of the view that privacy rights are harmed by SNSs. 10.4% respondents were strongly disagreeing about the statement that Facebook privacy is a real problem, 18.0% were disagree, 20.4% were neutral about the problem while 38.4% said they are agreed and 12.8% were strongly agree. The results also suggested that social networking sites leak personal data and also become a reason for disclosure of personal information. Hence, it is necessary when a user involves in the Social networking site he/she should be aware and vigilant of the privacy and security risks.


Author(s):  
Stefania Manca ◽  
Maria Ranieri

Over recent years, the notions of identity, credibility and trust in digital contexts have been gaining renewed interest from scholars in different fields (from social studies to engineering and computer science), especially for their consequences for privacy and security. Emerging and urgent questions are: What does the management of online personal data entail? How much personal information are we entitled to share with others? What measures do people usually adopt to protect their identity and privacy? Are they always aware of the risks they may run? What consequences may emerge in the long term if cautions are ignored? These are some of the questions that should be addressed by users, experts and scholars engaged with digital environments, especially social networking sites. This chapter focuses on these issues trying to provide a wide overview of the current literature on identity, credibility and trust, and their implications for privacy and security, from the perspective of social and behavioral sciences. Some measures provided by experts on how to protect against the most common security and privacy threats are also outlined.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penny Jorna ◽  
Russell Smith

This report presents the findings of the latest survey of identity crime and misuse undertaken by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) as part of the Australian Government’s National Identity Security Strategy. Identity crime is one of the most prevalent forms of criminal activity in Australia and can have severe and lasting consequences for victims. In 2018, nearly 10,000 people from across Australia were surveyed about their experience of victimisation, over their lifetime and during the preceding 12 months. The survey results for 2018 are compared with those of the 2017 identity crime survey. The 2018 survey found 25 percent of respondents had experienced misuse of their personal information at some time during their life, with 12 percent experiencing it in the previous 12 months. Similar numbers of respondents reported out-of-pocket losses in 2018 (945) and 2017 (950). The total out-of-pocket losses experienced were substantially lower in 2018 ($2m) than in 2017 ($2.9m). The results from the 2018 survey help policymakers to raise awareness of identity crime and reduce its impact throughout Australia.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoqian Wu ◽  
Lin Xu ◽  
PengFei Li ◽  
TingTing Tang ◽  
Cheng Huang

BACKGROUND Mental disorders impose varying degrees of burden on patients and their surroundings. However, people are reluctant to take the initiative to seek mental health services because of the uneven distribution of resources and stigmatization. Thus, mobile apps are considered an effective way to eliminate these obstacles and improve mental health awareness. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the quality, function, privacy measures, and evidence-based and professional background of multipurpose mental health apps in Chinese commercial app stores. METHODS A systematic search was conducted on iOS and Android platforms in China to identify multipurpose mental health apps. Two independent reviewers evaluated the identified mobile apps using Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). Each app was downloaded, and the general characteristics, privacy and security measures, development background, and functional characteristics of each app were evaluated. RESULTS A total of 40 apps were analyzed, of which 35 apps (87.5%) were developed by companies and 33 apps (82.5%) provided links to access the privacy policy; 52.5% did not mention the involvement of relevant professionals or the guidance of scientific basis in the app development process. The main built-in functions of these apps include psychological education (38/40, 95%), self-assessment (34/40, 85%), and counseling (33/40, 83%). The overall quality average MARS score of the 40 apps was 3.53 (standard deviation 0.39), and the total score was between 2.96 and 4.30. The total score of MARS was significantly positively correlated with the scores of each subscale (r = 0.62–0.88; P <.001). However, the user score of the app market was not significantly correlated with the total score of MARS (r = 0.23; P =.19). CONCLUSIONS The quality of multipurpose mental health apps in China’s main app market is generally good and provides various functional combinations. However, health professionals are less involved in the development of these apps, and the privacy protection policy of the apps also needs to be described in more detail. This study provides a reference for the development of multipurpose mental health apps.


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