Privacy – Appraising Challenges to Technologies and Ethics Aharon Hauptman, Yair Sharan Interdisciplinary Center for Technology Analysis and Forecasting (ICTAF) at Tel-Aviv University Current Research: Global Perspectives – following OECD conference Jerusalem, 26 October 2010

PRACTIS Main Goals Identify and assess potential impacts of emerging technologies on: Threats to privacy Privacy enhancement Change of perception of privacy Propose means to cope with future risks while maximizing the benefits from new technologies (e.g including privacy consideration in Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of new products)

Horizon Scanning 4 Not only ICT ! Nano, Bio, Robotics, Materials, Cognition, Converging Technologies…

A worldwide system of interconnected intuitive networks that pay attention to us, knows our likes and desires, and proactively feeds us the information we need to act (or acts by itself)... Internet of Things (IoT), Ambient Intelligence (AmI)

Dark-side scenarios: IoT develops rapidly but privacy & security lag behind Surveillance, identity theft, new crime opportunities… Any personal object may be tagged (by RFID etc) Example (trivial?): robbers use RFID readers to select victims by info about purchased items...

Online behavioral targeted advertising Threats: Manipulation of consumers by advertisers by using huge sets of data about them Impact on perception? Advertisers restrict their use of behavioural advertising because of growing consumer privacy concerns (Ponemon Inst.) Israeli computer scientists: “new generation of malware will mine social networks for people's private patterns of behavior…..the value of this data makes it almost inevitable that malicious attackers will attempt to steal it” Technology Review, Oct 8, 2010

“ undetectable video cameras, microphones and transmitters anywhere one wishes”. Nano – the death of privacy? “Does this technology represent the death of privacy as we know it?” M. D. Mehta (Univ. of Winnipeg), “On Nano-Panopticism: A Sociological Perspective” “Molecularly naked” patients: nano-devices “could allow insurance companies to know more about our bodies than we do” C. Toumey, “Nature Nanotechnology”, Apr

“trillions of nanoscale sensors and actuators embedded in the environment…. in everyday electronics…track hospital equipment, sniff out pesticides in food, “recognize” the person using them and adapt.” HP Vision: Central Nervous System for the Earth (CeNSE) will cost "next to nothing, yet measure everything." Availability of unprecedented amounts of (private?) data

2027: Computers can read the information recorded in the human brain The forthcoming Brain Revolution Delphi Foresight (Japan, 2005): The present: Emotiv’s headset can interpret user’s thoughts and emotions

Synthetic Telepathy Synthetic Telepathy "By 2035, an implantable chip could be wired directly to the user’s brain….. including mind-to-mind or telepathic dialogue.” (UK MOD think tank) Ultimate invasion of privacy? Or total change of privacy perception? – if even thinking is not private anymore!

Intelligent humanoid robots Threats: Surveillance, autonomous privacy violation? Change of perception: Acceptance of robots as friends? Even today people become emotionally attached to robots. Can lead to a disclosure of personal information (that may be of interest for third parties…) Privacy enhancement: Prevent privacy intrusions by strangers or other robots?

Privacy Enhancing Technologies  SFE: Secure function evaluation  PPDM: Privacy preserving data mining (extracting useful info from databases without exposing personal details)  Traceless Biometrics  …. PLCA: Privacy-oriented Life Cycle Analysis (for new products development)

“Invisibility Cloak” “Invisibility Cloak” Metamaterials (with negative refractive index) can hide objects from sight or make them appear as other objects. 14 Perfect PET? Or total change of privacy perception?

PRACTIS – School Survey on Privacy ~18 schools in 6 countries, > 1000 students (ages 16-18) Six privacy-oriented scenarios Examples: Scenario: Rock Concert A venue that hosts rock concerts offers personalized electronic bracelet. Bracelet owners benefit from many advantages. Would you use such an electronic bracelet? No □ Yes □

Scenario: PC/Internet A window warns you that spyware has been detected and proposes a link to download the latest spyware remover. If yes, under which circumstances would you use the link? As problems have been detected, I download it. □ If it’s for free, I’d download. □ If I get a coupon for online-shopping, I’d download. □ If I can win something, I’d download □ Other: □ Would you download the software? No □ Yes □

Health monitoring sensors To improve your health, miniature sensors (worn / implanted) are given for free. Health parameters are displayed on your cellphone and are sent to medical service providers. It helps you to know your condition and to get better and cheaper medical treatment/medications. The same data informs doctors and your insurance company what and how much you eat, drink, or smoke, and when you go to bed. Would you use such medical sensors? No □ Yes □ Yes, but only if they are not implanted □ Yes, but only if I decide when I do the tests and to whom I send the information □ If no, why:

Risks vs. benefits: change of perception?

Thank you! 19 Comments? Ideas?