IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Fall 2014 - 66

Table I
Data Collected for Participatory Sensing
Data

Description

Noise levels

Noise level using no raw data storage policy

Location

GPS/AGPS reading

Time

Time stamp in smart phone

Battery

Remaining battery level

MAC / physical address

Physical address

Phone Number and ID

Phone number linked to the SIM and ID

Movement

Accelerometer reading @ 10 Hz

Nearby wireless devices

Detect and store: number of wireless devices, type of devices and their
respective identities.

Requested User Input (optional):
No. people in vicinity

Input approximate number of people in the vicinity

Effect on mood

Score 1 (Negative) to 10 (Positive)

Event/environment

Briefly explain the event or environment (e.g. Party, Park, ...)

identity was placed in government
responsibility, expectations of
stakeholders are that:
■■

■■

Individuals maintain primary
responsibility for protecting
their personal information
Service providers and industry
operators are responsible for
enabling a secure environment
The government provides
information and education services, raises awareness, and
enforces safeguards [26].

High standards of transparency
in data-handling are expected from
all organizations, including notification of breaches and management
practices [24]. However, no figures
were reported regarding continued
engagement with given organizations following a breach of trust.

Role of Government
and Policy Frameworks
Effective technological and policy
frameworks, embedding privacy in
emerging ICT with associated guarantees, means of compensation for
breaches, and adequate transparency of data usage are essential for
building or rebuilding trust between
stakeholders. Participatory sensing potentially benefits both users
and organizers, if implemented
66

accordingly. Implemented haphazardly, it mirrors existing flaws
and lopsided exchange dynamics between users, commercial
operators, and governments. PS
extends beyond disengaged masssurveillance, principally because it
actively engages users to contribute data and collection resources.
The respective parties actively
enter into an agreement or contract (detailed accordingly) for the
exchange of information.
In the U.K., local councils
received over £2 million in penalties
in recent years following discoveries of serious flaws and errors in
personal data handling procedures
[28]. While internal government
policy may provide assurances for
activities and services in which local
government is directly involved, the
same level of control does not exist
for external commercial services or
PS applications. Such instances rely
instead on service level agreements
with the contracting organization,
legislation enforced by the associated
controlling or licensing authority, or
on industry self-regulation [28].

Privacy Standards
A commonly understood definition
of privacy is the right to have one's
personal environment, and information contained therein, protected

from intrusion. Formal privacy definitions vary according to jurisdiction
[27], [29]. Examples are seen in the
U.K.'s Data Protection Act and code
of practice for anonymization of personal data [30]. These protections
combat the accessibility of data to the
public and also the subsequent ability
to reveal previously hidden aspects
of personal information. The Australian Privacy Act regulates handling of
individuals' personal information and
necessary protection steps in accordance with Privacy Principles. The
Office of the Australian Information
Commissioner (OAIC) may investigate reported breaches and seek resolution through conciliation [31].
Protections tied explicitly to identity are inadequate, as consolidated
information may still identify an
individual's activities, locations, and
relationships without establishing
identity [11]. The inability to singularly protect privacy through combinations of privacy, data-protection,
or communications laws [32] necessitates a combined approach employing education, empowerment, and
enforcement [33]. Also important
are notions of equity, consent, and
social forgetting (recently enforced
by the EU) [29]. These become factors for the user in establishing trust
that they and their data will be protected fairly and justly. Informed

IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE

FALL 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - Fall 2014