Privacy Implications of Context-Aware Services

Personal information handling in current and anticipated context use cases is worrisome. This notwithstanding, contextual services are rapidly proliferating into most niches of society, catalysed by technological advancements in sensing, ubiquity and mobile computing. Evolving social trends, catastrophic events and the economics of personal information further escalate the frenzy. Consequently, contextual applications have propagated into personal, community, government and corporate services. Unfortunately, these services are seldom developed with onset personal information leak concerns. As a result, personal information pieces often leak in their handling, eroding the users’ privacy. Privacy erosion is attributed to information leaks through covert acquisitions and re-purposing of legitimate data. Privacy loss from such erosion exposes individuals to significant harm often intractable or costly. This study identifies and sensitises information handling vulnerabilities on their privacy implications in context-aware services. We assert the need for stakeholders in contextual services to deliberate privacy implications of context throughout its life cycle as opposed to, detached focus at collection, transmission or usage points. Notably, privacy threats will intensify as computing further invades the sacred precincts of our private, public and domestic lives.