Privacy is the Boring Bit: User Perceptions and Behaviour in the Internet-of-Things

Abstract

In opinion polls, the public frequently claim to value their privacy. However, individuals often seem to overlook the principle, contributing to a disparity labelled the 'Privacy Paradox'. The growth of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) is frequently claimed to place privacy at risk. However, the Paradox remains underexplored in the IoT. In addressing this, we first conduct an online survey (N = 170) to compare public opinions of IoT and less-novel devices. Although we find users perceive privacy risks, many still decide to purchase smart devices. With the IoT rated less usable/familiar, we assert that it constrains protective behaviour. To explore this hypothesis, we perform contextualised interviews (N = 40) with the public. In these dialogues, owners discuss their opinions and actions with a personal device. We find the Paradox is significantly more prevalent in the IoT, frequently justified by a lack of awareness. We finish by highlighting the qualitative comments of users, and suggesting practical solutions to their issues. This is the first work, to our knowledge, to evaluate the Privacy Paradox over a broad range of technologies.

An Empirical Analysis of using Blockchain Tech-nology with Internet of Things and its Application

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“…This is the prime motive behind the combination of blockchain and IoT technologies [7]. Researches have proved that blockchain provides solutions for security issues in IoT like Denial of Service (DoS) [33], Authorization [19], Identity management [28] and data protection [33].…”

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