Towards Building Cryptographic Tools to Protect Device Bystanders

Contributor(s)

Tess Depres

Session

Cryptography and Privacy in Context

Abstract

As smart devices become more pervasive, protecting the privacy of those who encounter the devices is of the utmost importance across contexts. We conducted a large-scale survey (N=1459) with primary users of and bystanders to smart home devices. Instead of classifying people as either primary users or bystanders, we surveyed the same participants across different contexts (in their own home and in other people's homes), to directly compare and contrast privacy experiences, preferences, needs, and concerns, as well as protection mechanisms/strategies and desired privacy options. We deployed our survey in four countries (Germany, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and in two languages (English and Spanish). Based on our results, we will propose methods and gather ideas about how to incorporate or enable privacy control, using cryptographic tools, in device ecosystems where people who encounter devices did not choose to be exposed or may not even be aware of the devices.