David Wright, Serge Gutwirth and Michael Friedewald
To identify safeguards against threats and vulnerabilities posed by the emerging world of ambient intelligence.
Abstract
Purpose
To identify safeguards against threats and vulnerabilities posed by the emerging world of ambient intelligence.
Design/methodology/approach
Dark scenarios were constructed to highlight the threats and vulnerabilities; safeguards are identified to address those threats and vulnerabilities and recommendations for specific stakeholders are made for implementing those safeguards.
Findings
A multiplicity of threats and vulnerabilities can be expected in the emerging world of ambient intelligence, and a multiplicity of safeguards are similarly necessary to address those.
Research limitations/implications
Additional technological research is necessary in order to develop some of the safeguards envisaged as necessary.
Practical implications
The existing legal and regulatory regime suffers from various lacunae and must be amended to address AmI challenges. Many stakeholders have important roles to play.
Originality/value
The paper identifies necessary safeguards to protect privacy, identity, trust, security and e‐inclusion. It identifies specific recommendations for the European Commission, Member States, industry, civil society organizations, academia and individuals.
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Timo Leimbach and Michael Friedewald
Software and software‐based services (SSBS) are a major domain of the European ICT industry and are recognised as a key element in developing the information society. This article…
Abstract
Purpose
Software and software‐based services (SSBS) are a major domain of the European ICT industry and are recognised as a key element in developing the information society. This article aims to shed light on the various strategies, policies and activities pursued by the EU and its member states.
Design/methodology/approach
The article is based on a survey of national programmes that are aimed specifically or in substantial part at the software sector. This analysis and assessment usually faces two challenges: unlike other technologies that have the same significance and/or the same attractiveness, the SSBS industry is a very dynamic one, due to several specific characteristics; and there are increasing inter‐dependencies between the European and national levels as well as between supply‐side and demand‐side policies, which require a more detailed analysis of the different national policies for the EU member states. Therefore a comparative analytical framework is used that takes account of the different composition and structure of the SSBS industries in EU member states.
Findings
The analysis shows that there are still great differences among the EU member states, but in general there is relatively little activity in European member state governments targeted specifically at fostering SSBS producers. However, as a result of the EU activities virtually all member states have implemented policies to foster the development towards an information society.
Originality/value
The paper highlights that normally these overall policies address and integrate both the supply side as well as the demand side. This is at least an improvement compared to recent years, when adaption, diffusion and application were taken for granted.
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Michael Friedewald, Richard W. Hawkins and Simone Kimpeler
In the context of fears that the European information and communication technology (ICT) sector may be facing a period of crisis, this paper seeks to examine the changing role of…
Abstract
Purpose
In the context of fears that the European information and communication technology (ICT) sector may be facing a period of crisis, this paper seeks to examine the changing role of national‐level policy initiatives to enhance the competitiveness of European ICT producers.
Design/methodology/approach
The article is based upon a study of 176 national programs that are aimed specifically or in substantial part at ICT producer goods. This supply‐side focus provides a counterpoint to studies that concentrate on demand stimulation and aggregation measures, which generally make up a much larger share of national policy programs. A comparative analytical framework is used that takes account of the different composition and structure of the ICT industries in the EU member states.
Findings
The key findings are that technology development programs continue to dominate but that the emphasis is shifting from ICT producer goods as such to the application and coordination of ICT products and services across a wide range of industry contexts. This process takes different directions depending upon national political and administrative structures and historical national attitudes to industry policy.
Originality/value
The article gives evidence about sector specific strategies for supporting the competitiveness of the ICT sector and forms the basis for the identification of best practice examples.
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Questioning gender is about taking an active, critical role in the technological design of our daily behaviour. It is a deconstruction of the oppositions that exist in the…
Abstract
Questioning gender is about taking an active, critical role in the technological design of our daily behaviour. It is a deconstruction of the oppositions that exist in the discourses of Ambient Intelligence designers, the ICT industry and computer scientists. What underlies the assumption that Ambient Intelligence will, by disappearing into our environment, bring humans both an easy and entertaining life? The gender perspective can uncover power relations within the promotion and realisation of Ambient Intelligence that satisfy an obvious wish for a technological heaven. The deconstruction of the promise of progress and a better life reveals what is overvalued, what is undervalued and what is ignored. This paper is a deconstruction of the view, currently prevalent in the discourses of Ambient Intelligence; a view of humans and the way they live. A view that will influence the way women and men will be allowed to construct their lives.
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Aleatha Shanley, Mike Johnstone, Patryk Szewczyk and Michael Crowley
Using technology to meet national security expectations and requirements is not new. Nations attempt to strike a balance between security and the (expressed or otherwise) privacy…
Abstract
Purpose
Using technology to meet national security expectations and requirements is not new. Nations attempt to strike a balance between security and the (expressed or otherwise) privacy needs of citizens. Attacks (physical or cyber) on citizens shift the equilibrium point towards security. In contrast, civil liberties organisations act to preserve or increase privacy. The purpose of this paper is to explore Australian attitudes towards privacy and surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this paper aims to discover what (if any) factors contribute to societal acceptance of privacy encroachment implicated by surveillance programs.
Design/methodology/approach
Data collection occurred during 2021 using a cross-sectional survey comprising a variety of self-assessment questions. In addition, anchoring vignettes were introduced as a means of contextualising complex concepts, i.e. privacy and security. Finally, latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify homogenous patterns within the data, referred to as “classes” for the analysis of trust.
Findings
First, the survey revealed that citizens appear to be unconcerned about surveillance in public and private spaces (although this may be a temporary effect resulting from the pandemic). The potential for identification, however, does raise concerns. Second, LCA surfaced a specific group that were more likely to trust entities and showed less concern about surveillance in society. Finally, even this latter group displayed a “trust deficit” in specific organisations (private businesses and social media firms).
Research limitations/practical implications
The tension between security and privacy remains, even in a post-pandemic world; therefore, the authors consider that the results, whilst interesting, are preliminary. Notwithstanding this, the findings provide insight into Australian attitudes towards privacy and surveillance and, consequently, provide input into public policy.
Originality/value
This is the most recent survey of the Australian public concerning this issue. The analysis of the effect of the pandemic on attitudes provides further value.
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Michelle Cayford, Wolter Pieters and P.H.A.J.M van Gelder
This study aims to explore how the public perceives the effectiveness of surveillance technology, and how people’s views on privacy and their views on effectiveness are related…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore how the public perceives the effectiveness of surveillance technology, and how people’s views on privacy and their views on effectiveness are related. Likewise, it looks at the relation between perceptions of effectiveness and opinions on the acceptable cost of surveillance technology.
Design/methodology/approach
For this study, surveys of Dutch students and their parents were conducted over three consecutive years.
Findings
A key finding of this paper is that the public does not engage in a trade-off neither with regard to privacy-effectiveness (exchanging more effectiveness for less privacy and vice versa) nor with effectiveness-cost, but rather expects all three elements to be achieved simultaneously. This paper also found that the correlation between perceived effectiveness and perceived privacy was stronger for parents than for students.
Research limitations/implications
Participants for this study were exclusively in The Netherlands. Survey questions on the effectiveness of surveillance technology focused on one type of technology, and on private mobile device use in two scenarios.
Social implications
The public’s perceptions of the effectiveness of surveillance technology potentially influence its acceptance of the technology, which, in turn, can affect the legitimacy and use of the technology.
Originality/value
Within the much-discussed privacy-security debate lies a less-heard debate – that of the effectiveness of the surveillance technology in question. The public is one actor in this debate. This study examines the public’s perceptions of this less-heard debate.
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The paper shows that current research systems are not geared to organise and evaluate research involving several scientific disciplines. A consequence is exaggerated promises and…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper shows that current research systems are not geared to organise and evaluate research involving several scientific disciplines. A consequence is exaggerated promises and expectations based on “speculative interdisciplinarity”. These expectations are one cause of “speculative ethics”. Evaluators of interdisciplinary research proposals should be aware of the pitfalls existing in this kind of research. The purpose of this paper is to highlight “speculative interdisciplinarity” as a cause of exaggerated expectations with the result that ethical analysis and similar activities focus on unlikely impacts.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper confronts documented statements of champions of emerging technologies with assessments by specialists from the scientific disciplines involved in the development of the technologies and examines the extent to which differences are due to problems with interdisciplinary work.
Findings
The paper identifies the causes of exaggerated expectations related to the impact of emerging technologies based on interdisciplinary research. Lack of experience with interdisciplinary research is shown to be a major cause.
Research limitations/implications
This is basically a case study for a spectacular individual example. There is a need to show that the same problems exist for less spectacular scientific endeavours.
Practical implications
Review process organisers and reviewers should be aware that exaggerated expectations can arise as a result of insufficient attention to the organisation of interdisciplinary research. There is a need for studies to confront expectations with the genuine state of research.
Originality/value
The paper highlights a need to pay attention to the organisation of interdisciplinary research.
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Vladlena Benson, George Saridakis and Hemamaali Tennakoon
The purpose of this paper is to bridge the gap in the existing literature by exploring the antecedents of information disclosure of social media users. In particular, the paper…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to bridge the gap in the existing literature by exploring the antecedents of information disclosure of social media users. In particular, the paper investigates the link between information disclosure, control over personal information, user awareness and security notices in the social context, all of which are shown to be different from existing studies in e-commerce environments.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected and analysed data from 514 social network users. The model is estimated using ordinary least squares and robust standard errors are estimated using the Huber-White sandwich estimators.
Findings
The results show that in social networking contexts, control over personal information is negatively and statistically associated with information disclosure. However, both user awareness and security notices have a positive statistical effect on information disclosure.
Originality/value
Whilst research on issues of individual information privacy in e-commerce is plentiful, the area of social networking and privacy protection remains under-explored. This paper provides a useful model for analysing information disclosure behaviour on social networks. The authors discuss the practical implications of the findings for actors in social media interactions.
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Paola Mavriki and Maria Karyda
User profiling with big data raises significant issues regarding privacy. Privacy studies typically focus on individual privacy; however, in the era of big data analytics, users…
Abstract
Purpose
User profiling with big data raises significant issues regarding privacy. Privacy studies typically focus on individual privacy; however, in the era of big data analytics, users are also targeted as members of specific groups, thus challenging their collective privacy with unidentified implications. Overall, this paper aims to argue that in the age of big data, there is a need to consider the collective aspects of privacy as well and to develop new ways of calculating privacy risks and identify privacy threats that emerge.
Design/methodology/approach
Focusing on a collective level, the authors conducted an extensive literature review related to information privacy and concepts of social identity. They also examined numerous automated data-driven profiling techniques analyzing at the same time the involved privacy issues for groups.
Findings
This paper identifies privacy threats for collective entities that stem from data-driven profiling, and it argues that privacy-preserving mechanisms are required to protect the privacy interests of groups as entities, independently of the interests of their individual members. Moreover, this paper concludes that collective privacy threats may be different from threats for individuals when they are not members of a group.
Originality/value
Although research evidence indicates that in the age of big data privacy as a collective issue is becoming increasingly important, the pluralist character of privacy has not yet been adequately explored. This paper contributes to filling this gap and provides new insights with regard to threats for group privacy and their impact on collective entities and society.