Shared Privacy Concerns of the Visually Impaired and Sighted Bystanders with Camera-Based Assistive Technologies

Abstract

Camera based assistive technologies can provide people with visual impairments (PVIs) visually derived information about people in their vicinity. Furthermore, the advent of smart glasses offers the possibility of not only analyzing visual information in front of the wearer, but also behind them through an extended field of view. Although such ‘visually available’ information can enhance one’s social interactions, the privacy and ethical implications for automated judgments about bystanders especially from the perspective of PVIs remains underexplored. To study the concerns of both bystanders and PVIs with such technologies, we conducted two online surveys with visually impaired participants as wearers (N=128) and sighted participants as bystanders (N=136). Although PVIs found some types of information to be improper or impolite (such as someone’s weight), our overarching finding is the shared ethical concern between PVIs and bystanders related to the fallibility of AI, where bystanders can be misrepresented (algorithmically) by the devices. These mischaracterizations can range from occasional, unexpected algorithmic errors (e.g., errors in facial recognition) to the questionable use of AI for determining subjective, social constructs (such as gender). Based on our findings, we discuss the design implications and directions for future work in the development of camera based assistive technologies while mitigating the ethical concerns of PVIs and bystanders.

Digital accessibility in the era of artificial intelligence—Bibliometric analysis and systematic review

“…In the domain of safety, Abdusalomov et al (2022) utilized AI-based fire detection and classification methods to monitor and forecast fire-related scenarios, thereby providing early warnings that are specifically tailored to the needs of blind and visually impaired individuals. Akter et al (2022) examined shared ethical and privacy considerations relevant to people with visual impairments, making a significant contribution to the ethical development of assistive technologies.…”

“…This inclusive approach not only enhances the inclusivity of technological solutions but also provides a more robust and informed foundation for future research and development in the field. A more focused effort is necessary to comprehend how the information requirements of people with disabilities can vary across different contexts, cultures, and audiences and how their needs are context-dependent (Akter et al, 2022). Future research should explore this aspect to enhance the AI-driven accessibility.…”

“…To ensure accessibility, the data collection process should be streamlined and consider the diverse range of abilities within disability categories, avoid punitive measures, and acknowledge potential performance anxiety among people disabilities. Future research should prioritize algorithmic accountability, transparency, and explainability in the development of assistive technologies (Akter et al, 2022). This approach ensures that users can better understand and trust the functioning of AIdriven systems, thereby contributing to their overall effectiveness and acceptance.…”

Software-Defined Radio-Based Contactless Localization for Diverse Human Activity Recognition

“…Video surveillance systems are the most common instance of context-aware technology. However, camera-based technology has the drawback of potentially negatively affecting patient privacy concerns [17].…”